What A Trip
by Dragon Seraphim
Summary: An otaku with a slight case of paranoia is enjoying his time off from school when he finds himself whisked away to Gensokyo at the hands of a certain Border Youkai...and boy, he is not happy about it! Now stuck here with no way back, can he contend with this insane world and its even more insane denizens? Who knows? But hey, it'll be fun to see him try,right?
1. Prologue: An Unexpected Visitor

Well, here we go again. This time for real. Yes, it's the remake to the  
previous version of What A Trip, inspired by other popular Touhou fics like  
**Keys To The Heart** and **Average Joe In Bullet Hell**. Both of which are excellent  
stories and definitely worth your time.

Alright, let me make one thing clear. I know most folks aren't too fond of self-insert fics...or  
OC's with elements of self-insertion, and I can totally see why. What with the tendency of  
being severely overpowered, hogging the spotlight, and/or treating the Canon characters  
like they're just tools to make one's own creations look better in comparison.

So you could say this is a bit of a challenge for me. To make a story that not only stays mostly  
true to the spirit of Touhou, but has a character one can actually like and find interesting.

Without furthur ado, let's get started.

Note: When I write in italics, I'm usually writing my character's thoughts, or the story  
has shifted to third-person point of view.

* * *

**Prologue: An Unexpected Visitor**

You know, if there's one thing I've learned about life it's that it can always find new ways to surprise you. What's  
more, said surprises have a tendency of happening at the most unexpected moments. Oh, you could have everything  
down pat, think you're on top of the world, the master of your own destiny...and that's when it gets you.

That kind of unpredictability means one needs to use some caution, you know, think things through, because none of  
us can be sure what tomorrow will bring. Why, you could get run over by a car, get invited out on a date by a girl you  
have the hots for, your house could catch fire...for some reason.

...Or you could find yourself in truly bizarre situations like a character from a video game series stalking you, breaking  
into your house, kidnapping you, and dropping you off in another dimension from...ooh, probaubly a few thousand  
feet up high in the sky, and leaving you to your fate, all under the pretense of "having some fun".

Yeah, in case you haven't figured it out yet, that last situation is the one I found myself in. See that guy falling  
like an anvil from up high? The one with the short deep brown, almost pitch black hair, fair skinned, hazelnut eyes,  
standing about 5 foot, 11 inches in height, looks not half bad, but could stand to lose a few pounds? That's yours truly.

You are likely wondering how I ended up in this situation. To be frank, I'm kinda wondering that myself. I guess the  
best place to start...is in the beginning...at least before I go splat.

* * *

It all started earlier that same day. A Friday to be exact. Classes were done and I was on my way home. The week had  
been brutal, what with three papers due, two tests, AND a presentation on top of all that. Needless to say, I was pretty  
pooped out and more than ready to kick back with a few video games, a pile of junk food, and maybe browse the internet  
for some new fanfics to read.

Admit it, after a week like that, you'd want to treat yourself too.

Ah, I should probaubly give some background on myself. Name's James White, just turned 20 the previous year. Still unemployed  
and living with my parents, going to university, has a small circle of people I'm close with. Life follows a pretty simple routine:

Get up, get dressed, wash, eat breakfast, check to see if I have classes that day, go to said classes, eat lunch, finish classes,  
than either go to the public libary, or come home and study, have supper, do a bit more study than shower, grab a snack, play  
a few video games and than it's off to bed. Wash, rinse, repeat. Routine might alter slightly on certain days but that's the  
basic gist of it.

I know that may not sound like the most exciting way to spend one's days but that's kinda the point. I wasn't really that big a  
thrill-seeker, where's other people liked extreme sports I preferred gaming or kicking back with a good book. Yes, I dreamt of  
going on grand adventures here and there but, to be honest, who HASN'T thought of doing that at some point in their lives?

I does well enough when it comes to education, even moreso when I'm actually motivated..though I have a bit of a tendency  
to procrastinate and leave things till last minute. I'm not really much of a fighter either, preferring to talk problems out than use  
my fists. Yeah, not exactly your first choice to be a hero,eh?

Well, as I was saying, I stepped off the bus and took in a breath of fresh air,"Ahh...home sweet home.." Man, I was so looking  
forward to getting back to playing Pokemon Black 2...and getting out of this rain that was starting to pour! I rushed for my  
house,snatched the mail out of the mailbox, tried the door, locked, fumbled with my keys, and ducked inside, all in the span of a minute.

Not only was it the weekend, but it was my mid-term break too, and my parents were out of town, meaning I had the  
whole house to myself. I dropped my book bag in the bedroom and headed for the kitchen to crack open a can of root beer.

I took a large gulp, let out a burp and gave a content sigh,"Ahhh...man, I needed that," I scooped up the mail and looked  
through it, flinging aside what wasn't any good,"Let's see...bill..bill...ooh, coupon for free sundae at Dairy Queen, gotta keep  
that..bill..huh?"

I was down to my last piece of mail, except this one was perhaps the strangest of all. It was a blank white envelope sealed  
with a round purple sticker of all things. There was no mailing information on it either. No return addresses or clues to who  
might've sent it. The only bit of info were two small words saying "Open Me".

Now, you'd think I be more suspicious of this, and looking back now, maybe I should've been. Maybe I should've just dumped  
the thing in the garbage and forgotten about it. I mean, how often do you get mysterious pieces of mail in your box? I shook  
the envelope, didn't hear anything rattling inside, so it couldn't be a letter bomb.

So, of course, like a complete moron, I opened the thing. Yeah, curiosity definitely killed the cat on this one...either that, or  
it was the cat's own stupidity.

To my relief, nothing exploded...yet. Inside was a folded piece of paper,"What the.." I hauled the thing out and opened  
it up,"A letter...to me?" Sure enough, it was addressed directly to me. Here's what it said:

**Dear Mr James White,**

**Hello there! Good day to you, or good evening, depending on what time of day you get this. If you are reading**  
**this than allow me to express my sincere congratulations! You have been selected from out of countless other**  
**entries to recieve our grand prize!**

**This is a glorious opportunity for you will be one of the lucky few to experience a vacation like no other!**  
**Yes! A trip to a land that most people regard as a legend! You, my lucky winner, are on your way to The Illusionary**  
**Land Of Gensokyo!**

**A realm of wonders, fantastical creatures, magic, where new adventures wait for you around every corner**  
**and there is never a shortage of things to do! I will be by your place shortly to pick you up so get all your**  
**things in order, ok?**

**Rest assured, this will be a trip you will never forget...**

**Sincerely, Y.Y.**

**P.S. Oh, and try not to run, ok? It only makes things more difficult for both of us and I'd...hate to see you**  
**suffer some...unfortunate mishaps before your trip even starts...hmhmhm...**

I read the letter over once...than twice...than three times..I slowly put it down on the table in front  
of me before staring off into space and said the only thing that came to mind,"Somebody's trolling with me."  
I should mention that I have a tendency to talk to myself when under a great deal of stress. It helps keep  
me calm...somewhat.

But honestly, that was the only explanation I could come up with. I got up and began pacing back and forth  
as I contemplated this situation,"Let's see, I don't recall entering any sort of contest, and the handwriting  
does not look like anyone's I knows...but they obviously know my name, that's worthy of note..."

"There's also the matter of those initials...YY...could they belong to..." I shook my head,"No, it couldn't be..for  
all I know, this could be simply the next step up from prank calls, or somebody who knows me from school is  
messing with me.." I was getting paranoid so I felt some food would take my mind off things. I took a microwave pizza out of the  
freezer and heated it up.

With food and drink in hand, I sat down at my computer and watched some fansubbed anime to pass the time. "Ah, this is the  
life...nothing could possibly go wrong." I slapped a hand over my mouth at those words, knowing I'd just jinxed myself. As expected,  
my phone started ringing. I picked up the reciever,"Hello?"

No answer, except for some sort of slow, heavy breathing on the other end. Now, while this would be creepy for some folks, this  
only made me more suspicious than anything else,"...Who is this?" Nothing but more heavy breathing,"...Whatever you're offering,  
I don't want it, and no, you aren't getting my credit card number. Good-bye." I hung up on the guy and went back to my thing.

Only for the thing to start up again. I ignored the phone this time...only for it to keep on ringing! I took a deep breath and  
picked up the reciever again,"...Hello?"

"Yes, hello, is this the White's Residence?" came a female voice on the other end. I let out a small sigh of relief, it was likely  
one of the people my mom worked with, asking where she was.

"Yup, I'm sorry but Mr and Mrs White are not available right now. Can I take a message?" I asked politely...only to hear a  
a chuckle come on the other end,"Um...is there something wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh no,no, nothing's wrong, dearie. Tell me, is this their son I'm speaking to? A certain...James White?" I swear, when  
I heard my name, the hairs on my neck stood up in alarm,"It is, isn't it?"

I hesitantly spoke into the phone,"...W-Who is this, if I may ask?" Please don't let it be who I think it is, please don't let it  
be who I think it is! My imagination is already running wild.

That calm yet eerie chuckle could be heard on the other end,"My dear boy, you don't know? How sad, and when I went  
through all that trouble to drop off that lovely congratulatory letter too."

My eyes widened and my palms started to sweat. If this person was the one who sent me the letter...than I got the  
sinking sensation I was in deep trouble,"You didn't answer my question. Who are you and What is it you want?"  
Calm down, James, stay in control.

"Come now, you're a smart lad. I'm sure you can figure out the first one on your own...as for the second? Well...it might  
be better if I explain myself in person...I'll be over to see you soon,boy."

"Wait, what do you-" But the reciever went click and dial tone came up, ending our conversation. "Oy, you ain't blowing me  
off that easily, woman..." I hit the button for Redial and waited.

After several rings, a voice came up,"We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach...does not exist," Wait, what?  
I hit the Redial button again,"We're sorry, the number you are trying to reach-" I hung up and laid back in my chair.

If this person knew my name...AND they knew my number..AND they knew where I lived...yeah, I don't need to tell  
you folks I was in some major shit. _I should call the police, tell them I have a stalker._

I picked up the phone and dialed the number, than I waited...and waited...and waited,"Why isn't this darn thing  
ringing?" I checked the connection and it seemed alright. My computer was still functioning so there was no way  
the power could be out.

I pulled out my cellphone that I only carried around for emergencies and got ready to dial...only to notice I had  
no signal! Did I already mention I was a bit paranoid? No? Well, I was, and boy was it acting up now, especially  
since this was feeling more and more like a horror movie.

We had everything we needed: The protagonist being home all alone, a seemingly endless downpour of  
cold, wet rain, eerie phone calls, cut off from any sort of communication, oh, and we even had a crazy stalker  
on my tail.

I needed to take action and quick. I ran around, shutting and locking windows, drawing curtains, even went  
as far as locking my front door,"That ought to hold them," Now I needed a weapon. I ran to the kitchen and  
got a broom handle before putting on my jacket.

Now, you might be wondering why I didn't just grab a gun to defend myself. There's two very simple reasons  
for that: One, I don't own a gun, and two, even I did I didn't even have the training required to use one! Of course,  
if worse came to worst, I could always pull out a kitchen knife.

So, I sat there, waiting...and I didn't wait long as a knock came at my door. I chose to ignore it, in the hopes the  
person would go away. I kept on waiting, weapon at the ready in case they chose to break in...but the knocking  
only went on and on. After what felt like an eternity but was possibly only a few minutes...the knocking stopped.

Deciding to take a chance, I tip-toed down the stairs and, gathering my wits, I hauled open the door, my broom  
at the ready...except there was nobody there. I stuck my head out and glanced around. There was no one  
around.

I closed the door and went back to my room. Maybe all this stress from such a long, brutal week was finally catching  
up with me? That wouldn't be a surprise, and it would be logical too.

I walked to the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water from the sink. When I looked up in the mirror...I  
saw something standing right behind me. The figure had golden blonde hair and was donned in a white and  
purple dress with a fan covering their face.

I spun around...and she was gone...or was she there to begin with? I groaned and massaged my temples,"...Pull  
it together, James. You just need a nice, relaxing weekend from school, and you'll be better in no time."

Heading back to my room, I settled in to finish another episode of Nanoha Strikers, only to notice my drink can running  
empty. Getting up to grab a refill, I walked out to the kitchen...only to hear that giggling again. Now I knew I wasn't  
imagining things. Enough was enough. It was time to face this person and get some answers.

I kept my back turned as I spoke,"I know you're there, whoever you are. Would you please hurry up and show yourself already?"  
If this person wanted me dead, there was no point in dragging it out.

A voice spoke up behind me,"Well, since you said please.." I spun around and actually jumped backwards at the sight  
of, and I'm not kidding here, a large purple gap in the air before me!

Oh, but that's not the craziest part. You see, inside the gap..there were eyes...lots of eyes...staring directly  
at me. This may blown your mind but even THAT wasn't the craziest part!

No, the truly crazy part...was what stepped out of the gap. It was her...no doubt about it now..the dress..the hair..it  
was all there...even with the fan up, I could see the mischevious look in her eyes. The kind that a cat gets when they  
acquire a new favorite toy.

The young "woman" and I stared each other down for what felt like an eternity but was possibly only a few  
seconds before she finally chose to speak,"Good day to you, Mr White. I hope you don't mind if I..drop in?"  
She snickered at what I guess she saw as a joke.

I decided to slap myself, it stung like heck, but when I looked she was still there. I nodded, knowing  
there was only one thing to do. I headed for the door,"And where might you be going?" My mystery guest called.

I stopped and glanced back at her,"Out for a walk to clear my head. You're obviously a hallucination brought on  
by a mix of incredible amounts of stress, my own paranoia and watching a little too much anime. There is no logical  
way you can be real, and when I get back, you'll be gone."

Instead of being annoyed, she seemed rather amused by my attitude,"Is that so? You do realize it's raining  
out, right?"

"I'm aware of that, thank you for stating the blatantly obvious," I replied in a sarcastic tone as I got my shoes  
on,"The rain will help wake me up. If I get a cold, it's a small price to pay for snapping out of this delusion." I turned  
to open the door...but instead of the outside world, I saw only a vast void of purple..and eyes..lots of eyes..

Shuddering, I turned to look at my new guest who was looking at me with a face of pure innocence. I moaned  
and shook my head,"Let me guess...you're not going to let me leave, are you?"

"Not unless you want to go tumbling down into the void my gaps lead to," At this, she shrugged,"Even I can't say for  
sure where you'll end up." Gee, totally nonchalant about this..well, at least she's how I pictured her...or how fandom  
depicts her.

I heaved out yet another sigh,"So, I'm not really dreaming, am I?"

"I'm impressed, you're only now figuring that out?" I could sense a hint of mockery in her tone. Getting back at me  
for that "hallucination" bit,eh? Next thing I knew, she was standing right in front of my door. How did she-Oh right,  
controls boundaries, duh,"So, are you going to let me in?"

"Technically, you already let yourself in," I commented in return, although it was starting to dawn on me that, despite  
how hesitant and freaked out I was, trying to deny this gal wasn't real was not a viable option,"So...come on in."

"Why thank you," She let herself in and we went back to the living room,"I don't think I introduced myself,did I?  
I'm Yukari Yakumo, the Border Youkai. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I was shaking all over. That confirmed it. No more evidence was necessary. I summoned up my wits and looked her  
in the eye,"...The pleasure's all mine, Miss Yakumo.." I did a small bow. Hey, might as well show some form of respect,right?

My gesture seemed to be enough to catch her off-guard as she rose an eyebrow and lowered the fan slightly,"Hmm.."

I tilted my head,"Is there a problem, Miss Yakumo?"_ Please don't let her Gap me into the nine circles of hell..or outer_  
_space..or the bottom of the ocean..better yet, don't let her gap me at all..._

Thankfully, lady luck must have been in a good mood tonight because her smile suddenly became...slightly more  
serene,"No, there's no problem. I'm simply not use to being treated with such courtesy by your kind. Oh, and  
just calling me Yukari will suffice. You can lower the broom too. I have no wish to harm you."

Wow, we're already on a first name basis, talk about convenient. Best not to push my luck though,"Ermm..yeah.." I  
motioned to the kitchen,"Actually, I was going to get a drink, did you want anything?"

My guest snapped her fan shut,"If you have any green tea, that would be lovely,"

"Coming right up," I gave a two-finger salute which made her giggle and I headed to prepare some, pondering what  
to do all the while. After all, one of the most powerful beings in the entire Touhou series was in MY house, planning  
who knows what, and here I was preparing green tea for her!

...Yup, I have completely lost my mind. Reality has shattered into a bajillion pieces and I am now lost in some twisted  
wonderland made by my broken mind...meh, might as well go along for the ride..did I mention I'm slightly insane?

"Here you go, one mug of green tea," I brought in her drink and she took it graciously than we sat while it rained  
outside. I felt it was time to ask the obvious question,"So...Yukari..what brings you to these parts?"

The human-looking youkai sipped her tea and hummed contently before looking out the window,"Boredom, mostly."  
Gee, why I am not surprised? If my little Wikipedia splurges taught me anything is that 90 percent of what she did tended  
to be out of boredom,"The Outside World can be such an interesting place...when it wants to be. Gensokyo will always be  
my home but it's nice to have a change of scenery once in a while..wouldn't you agree?" At this, she smirked at me.

I decided to play along for now,"Yeah...I guess so. Nothing can stay the same forever...by the way," I pulled out the  
letter,"About this...I have some concerns."

"Concerns? And those might be?" She asked with a tilt of her head,"I figured the letter stated clearly what was  
going on?"

"Oh, it did, I got the bulk of it, but..." I needed to be upfront with her,"I...at the risk of sounding cliched...Why Me?" She  
looked me in the eye,"Out of all the people you could choose...why pick me?"

Yukari snickered,"A very good question...and the answer to that is.." She picked up her fan and flicked it open,"Why not?"

"I'm not sure I understand you." I replied truthfully as I heard the rain on the roof of my house.

"Well, let me put it to you in a way you can comprehend," She got up and walked to the window,"Like any other creature,  
I despise boredom, and I felt I needed someone to help alleviate it,plus I was in a generous mood today...so I simply picked a person at  
random...and when I saw you, I thought to myself "There's a boy who could use a vacation!" So here we are."

So that's how it was. Luck of the draw,huh? Typical Yukari...too bad I would soon have to sink her ships..figuratively speaking.

She took a look around my house,"Hmm...you don't have your bags packed.."

"Yeah, that's the other concern I need to bring up," I got to my feet,"I'm afraid I must respectfully decline your offer."

"And why is that, may I ask?" Yukari turned to face me, lowering her fan slightly,"Don't tell me you haven't at least once thought of  
what it might be like to travel to the worlds you only ever considered fiction?"

I gnarled my teeth in frustration..but I knew better than to lie,"..I have..but with all due respect, I'm not stupid," She  
tilted her head back at me,"For one thing, I got a decent life here. Also, no offense, but..the world you come from..isn't  
exactly high on my list of "Favorite places I wish I could visit". I mean, let's go over what you have,shall we?"

I began counting on my fingers,"You got demons, tengu, oni, gods, all sorts of crazily over-powered  
individuals who would end me for so much as looking at them the wrong way..." I than added before she could  
interject,"And yes I know you got Spell Card Rules to prevent that kind of thing..but that's no guarantee some rogue  
Youkai isn't gonna come along and gut me like a fish than eat me for dinner."

Also, I should point out trust is a bit of a double-edged sword when it comes to Yukari. On one hand she genuinely cares  
about her homeland and keeping it safe...but on the other she won't hesitate to use others to fulfill some long-term goal for her.  
The best way I could label her is if you're useful to her, she'll keep you alive...when your use runs out, you're youkai food.  
"Be honest, am I right in saying all that? Or am I simply shooting the breeze here?"

The Youkai Of Boundaries nodded along to what I was saying before chuckling lightly,"I will not deny that there are certain...risks  
involved..but no adventure would be complete without them now,right?"

"I'm not interested in any adventure," I reply calmly yet firmly,"I've had a long week and all I want to do is kick back,relax, not  
cause any trouble, and enjoy myself...ok?"

Yukari's smile faded a little,"..Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed..but you're honest and we Youkai respect that," Another  
gap opened up beside her as she readied to leave,"I'll simply find someone else to take my offer..and don't come crying to  
me when one of your fellow humans tells you of all the amazing adventures they went on in your place..and all of the incredible  
power they acquired.." I knew it was one last temptation but I knew better than to give in.

"I'll be sure not to," I replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"In that case, thank you for your hospitality," She curtsied to me,"May you have a long, prosperous life, Mr White." The woman took the  
letter and stepped through a new gap. It closed behind her, leaving me alone once again.

Once I was certain she was gone, I collapsed on the couch, completely drained, the kind of drain that I only get after a long workout.  
"That was way too close.." Common Sense has saved me from making a stupid decision yet again.

But just to make sure, I checked my phone, and...yup, there was a connection again, I was safe and allowed myself a small smile.  
Don't get me wrong, Gensokyo is a cool place...but between the scheming Border Youkai, the Vampire who controls the concept  
of Fate, the Hell Raven that commands the power of frekkin NUCLEAR FUSION, those people on the Moon, and so on, I highly doubted  
I'd survive five minutes. If you had no powers, and you were trying to make a name for yourself, things would NOT end well for you.

There was...one strange thing though. Yukari was a stubborn oaf, she hardly ever gave up, especially so easily, but she...just  
upped and left with hardly any trouble. "Heh, maybe she's finally getting it through her thick skull she can't have everything her  
own way." I commented in amusement.

I got up to go back to doing my own thing...only to see the air rip open before me and a gap to form! "Whaa!" I stumbled  
backwards only for another gap to appear behind me,"Y-Yukari!" More gaps were forming to the left and right of me,"What's  
the big idea?!"

There was her laugh again..and than I felt something grab me from behind. I tried to swing my broom at it, only for a hand  
to snatch it away, next thing I knew I was hauled through the gap and falling down..down...down..

_Huh..so this is how Alice must've felt when she went down the rabbit hole..._

* * *

I was dropped through the gap and...wait, a clear blue sky? And..what was with the roaring wind? I turned myself  
around...and automatically wished I didn't. Why? Well, because I was falling from the sky like a blasted anvil! Clouds  
whooshed by me and I could spot a patch of land slowly coming up toward me.

"...Why the hell am I falling from the sky?" I asked no one in particular,"And why do I not have a parachute?!"

I than did the only reasonable thing I could think of..I screamed..and screamed..and screamed. Yeah, this went on  
for a while, with the landscape coming up closer and closer with each passing minute.

This is where you, the reader, came in. To be frank, I honestly never imagined this would be how I went out. Here I was,  
a 20-year old college student, falling from on high, screaming my lungs out, silently cursing whatever gods had sentenced  
me to this fate. I always imagined I'd go out fighting an alien invasion while piloting a giant super robot...or at least, something  
cooler and more satisfying than this!

At least the view was nice. The landscape before me was vast and covered with lush greenery. There were lakes, forests,  
mountains, villages, even a blasted huge mansion. Too bad I'd never get to see any of it...not that I wanted to, of course.

After screaming my lungs off, I took a moment to catch my breath,"Thirsty?" Someone held out a can of root beer  
and I took it graciously.

I popped it open and downed some..than I realized who it was that gave me the drink,"Yukari?!"

The Border Youkai was, and I'm not kidding here, sitting on top of a gap like it was a cushion and falling right  
alongside me! While eating MY pizza at the same time! She wore that trollish grin on her face,"Having fun yet?"

"No!" I fired back,"Going splat all over your precious homeland is NOT my idea of fun! Also, what the heck? I  
thought you said I was free to go? And why are you eating my pizza?!"

"Really? You're worried more about me eating your food than about your life?" She innocently tilted her head as she fished out the letter and gulped down my food,"Did you even bother to read the fine print, my boy?" She held it out to me and whipped out a magnifying glass.

I hesitantly took the thing and she pointed a spot underneath her P.S. and when I used the magnifier on it..well..**"P.P.S. **  
**Just so we're clear, since you've opened and read the contents, we now have a binding contract and thus you are bound**  
**by it. Have a nice day."**

I stared at her like a gaping fish while she only wore a small smug smile on her face,"You...you tricked me! How was I suppose  
to know that?!"

"Correction, I didn't trick you. You simply neglected to read the fine print," The woman got comfy on her "chair" and rose  
an eyebrow,"Now, you have a choice to make. Either you come with me, or I leave you here to become a fine red mess all  
over someone's garden and whatever's left of you will likely get eaten. Choose quickly, for I say you got about...five minutes  
before impact."

I scowled at this master manipulator, there were so many things I wanted to say to her, but I wasn't ready to die yet,"Well,  
that's no choice at all...so.."

"So?" She reached out a hand. I growled and took it, her grin became full on sinister when I did,"Wise choice...now welcome  
to Gensokyo, my boy."

With that, she hauled me through yet another gap, and off we went.

As we flew, only one thought went through my mind: _What the hell have I gotten myself into?  
_

* * *

**So yeah, that's the end of the first chapter. It's a tad shorter than the first version...but sometimes, shorter is better,right?**  
**I mean, I drag this out too long people might get bored. Plus, this is only the introductory chapter. Next one is where**  
**things get a bit more serious.**

**So yeah, everyone's favorite Border Youkai is up to her old tricks again, and our hero is caught in the middle of it. What**  
**will become of him? Who knows? You'll just have to stay tuned to find out.**

**Drop a review, or comment, or whatever you want. I'll be seeing you guys again soon.**


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome To Gensokyo

**Well, it's nice to see my story generated a fairly decent amount of feedback. To you folks who**  
**reviewed and have decided to follow, you have my thanks. Here's hoping I can keep you entertained.**

**So, yeah, in the prologue we met my guy, James White, who finds himself the latest victim of a certain Border**  
**Youkai's...well, best way to describe it is shenanigans. However, Mr White isn't stupid, he has some idea of what**  
**he's getting himself into..but Miss Yukari can be quite stubborn when she wants to be...**

**Without further ado, let's get this show on the road! Like before, I don't own anything aside from my character**  
**and this plot. Everything else belongs to their appropriate owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Welcome To Gensokyo**

I'll be honest, if someone had told me that I would be kidnapped by a lady wearing a white and purple dress,  
who can manipulate the fabric of reality at will, and who also held a skewed sense of morality..I would've likely dialled  
911 and got that person sent to a mental institution.

Yet here I was, being dragged through some trippy tunnel filled with eyes by that very same woman. Huh...the universe  
must have a really screwed-up sense of humour to put me in this position.

Thankfully, we didn't dwell in that place for long as we soon exited out and into what looked like somebody's living room.  
It was spacious and had several large bookcases scattered around with a coffee table in the middle surrounded by soft  
cushions.

"Huh...roomy.." I mentioned as the gap closed behind us,"So...I take it this is your home, Lady Yukari?"

"That is correct,one of them anyways," She took a spot on a cushion and gestured with her finger to another one,"Please, have a seat,"  
I did as instructed,"Are you hungry by any chance?"

So she's offering me food? Something's definitely up. From my knowledge of the fandom, Miss Border Youkai is  
almost never such an accommodating host,"Well, I did have a pizza I was going to enjoy...until you ate it...by the way, was it good?"

The woman licked a spot of sauce off her finger and relished it,"Delicious...could've used a bit more meat though,"  
Picky much, aren't we? Still, I knew I needed to watch myself. One wrong move and I was guaranteed to end up on a Youkai's dinner  
platter before the day was out,"Now what can I get you?"

I shook my head,"No thanks, I'm not hungry right now."

"Are you sure?" She tilted her head,"Because I can gap us in some lovely kebabs if you-"

"Seriously, I'm good," I cut her off while putting up my hands. Forgive my paranoia but no matter how desperate I was  
for food I would not stoop to eating the meat of another human being...assuming that turned out to be true too.

Yukari wore that amused smile of hers,"Suit yourself," She clasped her hands together and sat there. She seemed to  
notice my uncomfortable shuffling so she asked,"Is there a problem?"

I looked up at her,"Hmm? Oh, nothing, it's just..I'm still trying to digest all this. I mean.." I ruffled my hair as I struggled  
to find the right words to describe this mess,"Not even an hour ago I was an ordinary college student living in a world  
of facts and logic, where you and this world...were fictional, made up. But now...I'm not sure what to think."

The blonde woman snickered,"I realize this is a great deal to take in, Mr White, but believe me when I say that if  
you learn to accept things as they are, your time here in Gensokyo will go much, much smoother. Besides, what you  
call "extraordinary" has a tendency of happening here on an almost daily basis."

I took a moment to let those words sink in..and I promptly facepalmed,"Ugh..for crying out loud...ok, even I will admit  
I can't argue with logic like that."

"Of course not," Yukari picked up her fan and flicked it open,"The point of a vacation is to enjoy yourself, ain't it?"

I rolled my eyes and figured I would not be getting any straight answers. Instead, I slurped from my drink can which  
had somehow survived the trip through the gap,"...So, what happens now?"

My host gave me a passive glance over the top of her fan,"That depends on you, my boy. This is your vacation  
after all. I'm only the host," I'm tempted to call bullshit on that,"So tell me, how would you like to start off your trip?"

I set down the can and pondered over her offer,"Hmm...I don't suppose there's any way I can convince you to  
send me back home,eh?" Yukari shook her head, still smiling,"Figured as much...alright, but I got a couple more  
questions."

"Oh, hang on a second," Suddenly, Yukari put a hand to her ear as if she were trying to hear something. She  
nodded her head a couple times,"Uh huh...hang tight, I'm on my way over," She let out a sigh and looked back  
to me,"My apologies, but as much as I would love to continue playing 20 questions, I have things to do."

I rose an eyebrow,"Things to do? Anything I can help with?"

"That's very chivalrous of you, but no. I simply got a few errands to attend to," Wait, Yukari, aka the frekkin  
maker of Gensokyo, one of the laziest individuals I've ever seen in any form of fiction...is going out to run  
errands?!

...Have I stepped into the Twilight Zone by any chance? "So!" She clapped her hands,"You got a choice to make,my  
boy. Either stay here until I'm done doing what I need to, which will likely take a few hours, or I can drop you off  
somewhere to pass the time. It's up to you."

I got up and brushed myself off before taking a minute to ponder where I should go. Scarlet Devil Mansion was  
marked off the list right away for...obvious reasons. Heaven was crossed off as well, partially because  
a certain Celestial and my host,from what I know, didn't exactly get along great. That also meant Youkai Mountain  
was a no go for the time being.

Now, you would probably be screaming at me to go visit a certain shrine maiden and get the hell out of dodge. I did entertain the idea for  
all of,ooh, five seconds before I shot it down. Whoa, before you all start calling me an idiot, hear me out.

I had no doubt Reimu could help me. Despite how much of a slacker and a prick she could be at times, at heart she was a good person  
who valued the inhabitants of Gensokyo over her own life...but my paranoia was telling me Yukari would not let me go that easily, and  
for some odd reason, I was in the mood for trusting paranoia over facts.

I needed a plan, think things through. For now, it was best if I laid low and played along. I made my decision,"Actually, could you drop me  
off at the Myouren Temple?" Ha! Bet nobody expected that one!

Yukari shut her fan and blinked at me, possibly caught a little off-guard by my reply,"The Myouren Temple...hmm..interesting..Very well,"  
She snapped her fingers and a gap opened up next to us,"That gap will take you where you wish to go. Hope you enjoy yourself..."

As she descended into a portal beneath her, I swore I saw a mischevious glint in her eye,"Oh...and don't worry about having to  
find me. I'll find you...that's a promise.." She winked at me and vanished through the gap.

I shuddered and got to my feet before heading toward the remaining portal. Taking a deep breath, I stepped on through  
and was on my way...

* * *

_Yukari dropped down through the gap and found herself in a forest. She glanced around and spotted a woman with nine fox_  
_tails and kitsune ears trying to haul a girl with cat features out of a tree,"Oh, for crying out loud..." She walked over,"Let me_  
_guess...Chen got herself stuck in a tree again while chasing squirrels?"_

_"I'm sorry, Lady Yukari," Her shikigami, Ran, apologized while still trying to haul her out,"I tried to stop her but-"_

_"No need to apologize, Ran. Chen simply does what in her nature to do.." Like all us Youkai,"Now than.." She snapped her_  
_fingers and and the tree's hole opened up enough to allow the neko to tumble out onto her head._

_"Oww..." The younger Shikigami massaged her noggin,"Thanks, Lady Yukari-nya.." She sat up,"So, how did it go with_  
_the Outsider?"_

_Yukari wore a smug smile,"He was a bit hesitant to cooperate at first, but me and him...well, we eventually reached an_  
_understanding of sorts," There was no need to let her know she needed to give the lad a little..motivation,"I must say_  
_though, he is proving to be quite...interesting."_

_"Interesting? How so?" Ran asked her master._

_"Oh nothing much, except.." She turned away from her subordinates and walked off a little way's,"He seemed less than_  
_pleased by my offer, the chance to live in a fantasy world is something most Outsiders would trade away their very_  
_souls for. Almost like he figured it was too good to be true..."_

_"Uh, maybe because it is-nya?" Chen quipped semi-sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. Earning a glare from Ran and a_  
_bonk on her head from her master's folded fan,"Oww...sorry.."_

_"Lady Yukari, are you certain letting this Outsider run about Gensokyo freely is the best idea?" Ran asked her master_  
_with a hint of worry in her voice._

_"My dear Ran, you worry too much," Yukari said in a comforting tone as she patted her familiar's head,"If he ends up_  
_causing any trouble for us, he'll be dealt with accordingly. Besides," At this, she smirked slightly,"What makes you think_  
_I'm going to let him run freely?"_

_The kitsune opened her mouth to ask what she meant, but than closed it. She knew better than to heavily question_  
_her mistress' motives. Instead, she simply bowed her head,"I will trust your judgment as always, my lady."_

_"Thank you, Ran," Yukari turned away,"Now, let us be on our way." The three stepped through a portal and_  
_vanished off to parts unknown..._

* * *

Upon exiting out the gap, I took a second to steady myself and stretch,"Ughh...I swear, how does Miss Border Youkai  
and her band of misfits put up with these things?"

Once I finished working out all the kinks, I took a look around the area and noticed the long stretch of paved stone  
bordered by lines of what seemed to be stone lanterns. Bordering the area were thick swathes of green trees, and  
down at the end, I spotted the temple itself.

I have never done much travelling in my life but I will admit, being able to see a place like this up close was pretty  
awesome. I walked down the pathway toward the temple. The area was surprisingly quiet and even tranquil. I did  
get the nagging feeling this would be the perfect backdrop for an epic sword duel from a japanese action movie.

Arriving at the steps, I calmly walked up them and stepped inside the temple. As I walked through the hall, I made  
note of how quiet the place was,"Huh...considering Hijiri follows Buddhism, a quiet atmosphere like this is most  
fitting for her..."

Suddenly, as if the universe hadn't had enough of screwing around with my life, I noticed a shadow form up beside  
my own, and the feeling of cold steel against the back of my throat. A feminine voice with an equally steel tone spoke  
up,"Huh...it appears we have some unwelcomed guests in our midst..."

Ah, crap. As if this day couldn't get any worse,"You. Turn around slowly, and no funny business.."

I did as instructed, putting my hands in the air to show I meant no harm. Standing before me was a girl with short  
jet black hair and crimson eyes. She wore a short black dress with blue and white trimming and a red bow on her  
chest with a red ying-yang symbol on the waist part. Black leggings with red shoes and a wristband.

Now, one could mistake her for being human...if it weren't for a few small details: Coming out of the right side  
of her back were three red metallic wings, and from out of her left side came three blue arrow-shaped tails. There  
was also the matter of a snake on her arm...oh, and the trident she pointed in my face.

"Identify yourself, and state your business here, human...or else.." To prove her point, she edged her weapon a little  
closer to my face until it barely scraped my nose.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and complied,"M-My name is James White. A human. I was brought here from the  
Outside World by Yukari Yakumo as part of some "vacation" or whatever, now I'm stuck in this world with no way  
back. I didn't come here to cause trouble. I only wish to meet with the one in charge of this place to talk, that's it."

The girl didn't lower her trident and kept drilling through me with that gaze of hers. We stood there, staring each  
other down like we were in one of those gunslinger duels,"If what you say is true, you're a bigger fool than most other  
humans." Hey! That was uncalled for!"Only an idiot would ever take the Border Youkai up on one of her offers."

"Good thing I'm not an idiot than," I shot back,"Look. Put the trident down, please. No offense, but it's kinda hard to  
explain my situation when someone's got a really pointy object jabbed in my face. Also, in case you didn't notice, I  
came unarmed. If I was itching for a fight, do you think I'd even try explaining myself?"

She didn't lower her trident but judging by the look in her eyes, some part of what I'd said was sinking in...hopefully.

Just than, a new voice entered the scene,"Nue, put away the weapon and relax. This man speaks the truth. He is of  
no threat to us and thus deserves to be treated as any other visitor," We both turned and looked up to see a young  
lady descend from up above us. Her hair was long and wavy, colored a light brown with a purple gradient on top.  
She had purple eyes and wore a black and white dress with criss-crossing stripes on the chest. Around her neck  
were jewelled beads and she was donned in a cape.

She floated down between us and almost instantly, I saw a change come over the Nue girl. Her glare softened and  
her composure relaxed somewhat. After staring at me for another second, she lowered her trident and I let out a  
breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"My apologies, Lady Hijiri," She bowed her head slightly,"I just wanted to make sure you could meditate in peace  
but I guess I...overreacted a little to the Border Youkai's scent on this boy."

"Apology accepted, Nue-san," Hijiri said with a soft smile,"Now, if you would both be so kind as to make up with  
each other, that would be splendid."

Nue and I turned to each other. I doubted either of us was in much mood to apologize but the monk here did  
save me from getting skewered so it was only right,"Sorry I came in uninvited, Miss Nue.." I bowed to her.

The youkai scowled at me but bowed slightly in turn,"I'm sorry for threatening you.." She walked by me while  
hissing,"Make no mistake..I have my eye on you...try anything and your life is mine...remember that,human.." With her threat  
delivered, she walked off before I could deliver a rebuttal.

Byakuren strode up beside me,"I hope you can excuse Nue-san. She didn't mean anything personal by  
threatening you. It's just a natural reaction for her, partially due to the fact her occupation is scaring people."

"It's fine, no worries," I rubbed my neck to make sure nothing had gotten cut. Feeling nothing was wrong, I smiled  
and bowed to her,"It's a great honour to meet you, Byakuren Hijiri."

The woman was taken back by my gesture but manage to smile and bow back,"The pleasure's all mine, and  
there's no need for such formalities. Calling me Hijiri will suffice," She than put a finger to her chin, as if she were  
contemplating,"You say you were brought here from the Outside by Yukari,yes?"

I nodded in confirmation,"Yeah, and before you ask, I didn't get a say in the matter. She dropped off this letter  
saying I'd won a free vacation to this world, even though I didn't even enter any blasted contest. I politely told her  
off when she showed up..but.."

"She didn't take no for an answer, I'm guessing?" Hijiri finished for me, to which I could only nod again, causing  
her to put on a slight frown,"I see...would you care to walk with me while we talk? I need the fresh air."

I agreed and we stepped out of the temple to strut our legs. As we walked, the monk spoke up,"I have lived for a  
very long time, and during that time I've encountered countless Youkai of every breed imaginable. Out of all of  
them though...Yukari is one of the very few I can't understand in the slightest,"

"She is monstrously powerful, does pretty much whatever she wants, and yet I am unable to grasp what goes  
on in that head of hers half the time," The leader of the temple conceded.

"Let's not forget the fact she spends so much time snoozing it should be considered a crime." I added while letting  
out a quiet chuckle. What? I needed to do something to tone down the mood.

It seemed to work as even Hijiri giggled,"I agree. You seem to know her quite well."

I swear if I could sweatdrop I would've been doing it by now,"Hehe..uh, I wouldn't say I Know her, per say, because  
really, can anybody truly KNOW her? I'm only going on what knowledge I got from Wikis on the Internet."

Byakuren looked at me with a poker face,"...Inter...net...Wikis...um, forgive me for the bluntness but...what are you  
talking about?"

Dang it, there I go, being stupid again. I chose to punish myself by going over the nearest tree and banging my head  
against it several times,"Idiot," Bang,"Moron," Bang,"Dumbnut," Big Bang. The monk stood behind me, still wearing  
that poker face most likely.

"Um...are you going to be alright, Mr White?"

"Oh, I'm fine! Peachy, infact!" I proclaimed after finishing and massaging my forehead,"Sorry about that. I simply  
needed to give my brain a few good whacks to get it back in order. Trust me, I'm fine now." I grinned and gave her  
a thumbs up to show all was right with the world, more or less.

"I see..." The brown-haired woman nodded, still seeming a little lost, but otherwise understanding,"If I may ask...what  
exactly is this...Internet?"

I took a second to ponder my answer,"Hmm...that's a very good question...the best way to describe it is think of one  
of those wiseman who knows pretty much everything there is to know about the world. All you need to do is ask the  
right questions and the knowledge is yours."

"Wow, that actually sounds quite amazing," Hijiri remarked,"Does it get used often?"

I let out a quiet chuckle,"Hehehe...oh yeah. It's used more often than you can possibly imagine, but like anything  
else it has its drawbacks," I decided to elaborate a bit,"Basically, you need to be very, very precise about what  
you're looking for, because if you're not...you could end up with..well, much more than you bargained for."

Best to simply leave it at that and spare the girl. Hijiri listened intently though,"Interesting...I've been absent from  
the affairs of the Outside World for quite some time and it's very rare when I get to meet another Outsider. Also.." She  
chuckled,"If what you're wearing is any indication, how humans acquire knowledge isn't the only thing that's  
changed drastically."

"Hm?" I glanced down and it hit me that I was still stuck in the clothes I got gapped in here with,"Ohh...yeah.  
I guess I stick out like a sore thumb dressed like this." I was still in the attire I'd been brought here with. A simple  
blue t-shirt, black sweatpants, grey socks and shoes and my jacket. I hauled out my wallet and fiddled with the  
money inside,"Say, do you know a place where I can pick up some food and clothing?"

"Yes, the Human Village," She responded while nodded,"Actually, I have a friend who left to pick up some supplies  
from there," The monk tapped her chin thoughtfully,"But that was a couple hours ago..I'm starting to get a bit worried  
about her.."

"If you can lead me to the village, I'll be glad to help you find her," I said. If I was going to be stuck in this world for  
a bit, I might as well do what I could to lend a hand. Besides, even in a place like this, whether you're the strongest, or  
the smartest, or whatever, everybody needs a helping hand once in a while. Just look at Superman and the Justice  
League.

Hijiri smiled at me,"If you're sure it's not too much trouble, than thank you," She floated into the air,"Follow me. We'll get  
there much faster if we fly."

""Ok than!" I rolled up my sleeves,"Time to spread my wings. Let's do this!" I ran forward while jumping into the air  
and flapping my arms,"I believe I can fly!"...Only to end up faceplanting myself onto the ground,"...Oww.."

"Ermm...are you alright, Mr White?" Byakuren asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Other than the fact I just realized I can't fly and I made a complete buffoon of myself twice in a row now, I'm fine." I  
growled while getting to my feet and mentally berating myself for being such a dummy.

"You mean you can't fly? That's strange, flying is one of the most basic arts in Gensokyo. Even those with only a sliver  
of actual magic can learn how to do it with some practice." The brown-haired woman explained.

I brushed off my coat,"Yeah, that's the thing. Most people in the Outside World don't believe in things like magic  
or Youkai anymore. We've moved on from those days."

"Oh..I see.." She looked a tad disappointed but then quickly brightened up,"That's fine. Come on, I'll give you a lift."

"Wait, wha-" Before I could protest, the buddhist grabbed my hand and next thing I knew, I was off the ground and  
soaring through the sky. Gee, woman couldn't even give me a bit more warning, could she?

"Just hang on tight to my hand and we'll be at the village in no time!" Hijiri said with an air of confidence. Well,  
at least one of us was sure of themselves.

"Oh yeah, that's real comforting to know!" I cried as I was hauled along like dead weight toward our destination...and  
tried not to hurl all the while.

* * *

Now, let me make one thing perfectly clear to you folks, believe it or not, I have flown before, but on airplanes. In  
comfy leather seats, without any chance of, ya know, _falling to my death!_ It didn't help matters that I was already  
after going through one near-death experience today, technically two, and personally, I think that was enough to last a lifetime.

But I suppose the universe gets its kicks out of torturing people like me. I guess I should count my lucky stars that  
the resident flying monk was keeping an iron-firm grasp on my hand...or maybe I was simply so freaked out to the  
point that I was unconsciously clinging to her with all my might.

I saw the village coming up towards us and we landed only a few steps from the entrance where I promptly fell  
to the ground in exhaustion and kissed it,"Oh, solid ground! Thank goodness!"

Hijiri tilted her head curiously,"Um..not to sound rude but, you do realize we were only flying for a few minutes,right?"

"For you it felt like a few minutes.." I groaned as I got up and dusted myself off,"But..we got here in one piece so  
I'm not going to complain," Turning, I glanced at the village,"So, this is where you said your friend was?"

"That's correct," She came up beside me,"It shouldn't be hard to miss her. Her name's Ichirin Kumoi. She has blue  
hair and eyes and wears a white and blue dress with a headdress, but if you want an even bigger clue, look for  
what seems to be a reddish cloud with the face of an old man and she won't be far behind."

"You mean like that girl over there?" I pointed to a figure standing in front of the shops, matching the description  
she had just given me. Judging by the look on her face, she seemed totally lost and confused.

"Oh..that was...fast.." Byakuren shook her head and called out,"Ichirin-san!"

The girl in question looked over to us and gasped before running up to her master,"Lady Hijiri!" She bowed to  
the head of the temple,"Please forgive me for not being home earlier. I was looking for Unzan."

"Unzan?" Both Hijiri and I shared the same skeptical face,"What happened? I thought you two were inseparable."  
The former asked with genuine worry and surprise. I knew she meant that claim both figuratively and literally.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Ichirin fiddled with the amulet on her neck,"I only turned my back for all  
of five minutes to pick out some produce but when I looked back...he was gone."

"That doesn't sound like Unzan at all," The brown-haired woman admitted with a nod,"He wouldn't simply up and  
leave your side without saying anything...did you say or do anything to make him mad lately?"

Ichirin scuffled her feet nervously,"I'm not sure...I don't think so..at least I hope I didn't..Unzan-san is usually so  
quiet and nice...oh, I hope nothing happened to him." Seeing the young one so distraught tugged at my heart-strings  
a bit.

I bent down a little to look her in the face,"Hey..turn that frowny face upside-down, kid," She looked up at me and  
I gave what I hoped was a warm smile,"I'm sure your friend is just as worried for you as you are for him, and if you're  
sad when you find him, don't ya think that'll make him sad too?"

To which, she gave a soft nod,"We'll find your friend, that's a promise, so no giving into sorrow, got that?"

"Right, now cheer up," Hijiri added in,"Being all sad and mopey doesn't suit you one bit, Ichirin-san," She gave her  
follower a playful rub on the head.

The mix of positive reinforcement seemed to get to her a little as the girl wiped her eyes and nodded,"Ok..thank you."

"How about we start looking from the last place you saw him?" Her master offered. The gal agreed and led us off  
down the street as I kept an eye on both of them. I knew Hijiri was a very kind, warm-hearted individual, despite what  
some folk in the fandom believe, but for a moment there, she seemed almost...motherly, is the best way to put it.

As we walked along, I noticed the blue-haired girl watching me,"Yes? Is something wrong?"

"You...are you human by any chance?" She asked.

I blinked at her question but decided to humor her,"Hmm...let's see.." I began checking my body over,"Wings? Nope.  
Horns? Nada. Tail? Zilch. Scales? No go...so yeah, I figure I'm human...last time I checked, anyways."

"Than why are you helping us? Or me? I'm a Youkai.." She came out and asked.

"Ichirin!" Hijiri scolded,"There's no need for such bluntness! Now apol-" I put a hand on her shoulder to stop her,"Huh?"

"Relax, it was a fair question, and deserves a fair answer," I looked to Ichirin,"You're not use to seeing a  
human help Youkai, are you? Outside of your friend here?" The girl shook her head,"Yeah...I can't exactly blame you for  
being suspicious, I would be too, in your situation,"

"There's no time to fully explain but all you need to know right now..is I understand the feeling of losing someone  
you're close to...and not being able to get them back...I'm not about to let that happen to someone else, if I can help  
it. Whether you're a Youkai or Human matters little to me, a friend is a friend,"

"Now than.." I clapped my hands,"Your friend's a floating cloud with a face, so he should be easy to pick out,"

"Have you tried asking if anybody has seen him?" Byakuren quizzed.

Ichirin frowned slightly,"I tried...but..." Ah yes, the whole "outcast" syndrome was still there.

"Well, let me give it a shot," Hijiri said with a soft smile as she began floating into the air while pulling out a  
scroll,"I think I have a Voice Amplification spell in here somewhere," She began scanning down its contents  
before finding it,"Got it!"

Seeing the blue-haired girl cover her ears, I got the signal and covered my own ears as she said some words  
I couldn't understand and than she took a deep breath and let out a booming voice,"Excuse me?! Can I please  
have your attention for a moment, everyone?"

The majority of people in the area covered their ears at the sound of her voice with more than a few throwing  
glares in her direction. Seeing she now had their attention, she smiled softly,"Thank you, now have any of you  
here happened to see a reddish cloud with the face of an old man floating around here?"

There was a mix of dirty looks and pure confusion amongst the inhabitants, along with much shrugging before  
a chuckle reverberated through the area,"Hmhmhm...ah, Byakuren-san, so nice of you to grace us with your  
presence...and as...grand-standing as ever,"

I glanced around the area for the source but judging by the scowl and narrowed eyes on Hijiri's face, she already knew  
who it was. The audience parted as a figure walked toward where we stood. As they got closer, I finally made them  
out...and who it was made me very uncomfortable, very fast.

Ivory hair done up like horns, ivory eyes too, purple headphones with kanji written on them. A bright purple dress  
with a pink vest over it that had purple patterns. A golden sword case strapped to a black belt and platinum sandals.

Ladies and gentleman, Byakuren Hijiri's hated enemy has entered the story!

Despite wearing an expression of pure loathing on her face, the monk still managed to speak softly yet firmly,  
"Well, if it isn't you, Toyosatomimi...what brings you to these parts? Don't you have an alternate dimension to  
reign over?"

"My dear Byakuren-san, you wound me, ain't I allowed to check up on an...old acquaintance?" The woman quizzed  
with a smug smile on her face though it was obvious she got a kick out of playing with her enemy. Byakuren only narrowed  
her eyes even more.

"State your business here, or leave. If you resist, I won't hesitate to use force." Dang, like a mother, Lady Byakuren could  
mean business when she wants to. As if we were all in silent agrement, some folks were already vacating the area. Wait...what  
was that inside the lady's cloak?

"Excuse me? Miss Toyosatomimi?" Man, that's a mouthful. She turned her gaze to me and rose an eyebrow,"Mind telling us  
what you got inside the cloak?"

"Hm? Oh, this?" She pulled out a jar with a sealed lid,"I found it while out on a merry stroll, why you ask?"

Inside the jar, swirling around angrily...was a mass of red cloud with one large eye,"Unzan!" We called out together.

"Let him go right now!" Byakuren called out to her,"He doesn't belong to you!"

"You're right, he doesn't," She held up the glass,"But than again, I needed some way to get you out of that temple of  
yours. You and I have a score to settle, after all."

Ah, crud, why did I have the sinking sensation I knew what was about to happen? "They're about to have a Danmaku  
battle, aren't they?" Ichirin nodded slowly,"Yeah, figured as much," I called out to them,"Oy! You two! If you want to fight,  
can we do this OUTSIDE the village?! If you fight here, I think a certain Shrine Maiden will be a teeny-tiny bit pissed off,  
don't you agree?!"

"Hmm? Oh yes!" Miko snapped her fingers,"How silly of me! Yes, we should do this like proper ladies, should we not? And  
I'd hate to anger Hakurei-san...again. Follow me, if you will." She turned and floated off into the sky. Hijiri flew down to  
us and took our hands before we followed the former princess out of the village, the people throwing uneasy glances  
as we left.

Right now, I didn't even care if I was unable to get any food, there was more important things to worry about right now...

* * *

We followed our guide to the outskirts of the village, to a vast plain with a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was quite a  
view certainly, but sadly, I wasn't here for that. The three of us landed with Miko facing away from us,"Ah, this will  
do nicely for our needs."

"So, what will be the terms of this duel?" Byakuren asked without hesitating or flinching at all.

The ivory-haired girl turned toward us, pondering,"Hmm...if you win, I'll let you have your little friend back and leave  
in peace..lose, and.." She tapped her chin than grinned and pointed at me,"I'll take your friend there back home with  
me. I can always use an extra servant." Wait, what did she just say?!

"You want him? He's not even one of the converts to my temple." My brown-haired friend explained, looking a little  
surprised as well.

"All the more reason for me to get him first than. Besides, I can't take the girl back with me since she'll try to escape  
the first chance she gets, and I think you got enough converts to your temple that you can let one go, can't you?"  
She turned her gaze onto me,"What you say, boy? Sound fair?"

Ah geez, what was it with all the choices today? Did this suddenly turn into Mass Effect or something? I glanced  
to the Youkai of the group who shook her head,"You don't have to say yes to this, Mister. We can find another way."

I let out a sigh and looked to the brown-haired woman,"Lady Hijiri? Are you sure you can win this?" I wanted to go  
home but I was not about to stand by and let innocent people suffer along the way either.

"There is no guarantee, but I will fight to the best of my ability, James-san," She nodded to me.

I nodded right back,"Ok...Lady Toyosatomimi? You have yourself a deal."

"Splendid!" She gave her cloak a casual toss and readied for battle,"Shall we dance than?"

I ran behind some cover with Ichirin as we watched the two ready to go at it,"So, think Lady Hijiri has a  
chance at beating that other girl?"

"If anybody can take down Miko, it's Hijiri-san!" Ichirin proclaimed in a rather chipper tone of voice. Wow, aren't  
we confident in our friend? But hey, props to this gal for keeping faith.

**(Play Touhou, Byakuren's Theme: Emotional Skyscraper, Cosmic Mind)**

Hijiri went first, unrolling her scroll and letting it flare out as barrages of blue energy spheres rocketed  
forward, aiming for their target. The former princess wasted no time in launching herself into the air  
even as her foe continued to attempt and pelt her with laser fire. Seeing this, the monk took off into the  
sky as well like a rocket.

Spheres of light formed around her and zipped toward Miko who spun around in time to unsheathe her  
sword and use it to deflect each and every shot away from her,"My turn," Her sword charged with gold  
light and she swung, a rain of golden crescent moon slashes launching forth in a deadly storm.

The brown-haired buddhist did a barrel roll and maneuvered through each slash with grace and minimal  
effort while still moving in closer and closer, only for her foe to twirl her cloak around herself and vanish  
from sight, causing her to stop and look about.

Miko reappeared up even higher in the sky and with a snap of her fingers, the air around her filled with  
a plethora of golden light arrows. Pointing a single slender digit, the mass of projectiles began their  
descent. Ichirin gasped while I only stared in silence.

Byakuren though only twirled about and released a particularly huge number of blue spheres and  
bullets all at once. The two forces flew to meet in a massive explosion that lit up the evening sky  
and triggered a mini-shockwave.

The princess floated there waiting for any sign of her opponent, suddenly, from out of the smoke  
jetted several gold vajra propelled by light. Miko sighed and batted them away. Suddenly, she seemed to  
frown...and than rotated in time to see Byakuren appear in a flicker of wind, wielding one of the vajra like  
a sword and coming at her full-force.

The white-haired saint just barely managed to bring up her blade and guard against Hijiri's swing. The  
two pushed against each other for several seconds, neither giving an inch. Even with the superhuman  
abilities that her magic gave her, it was evident that alone would not be enough to best this woman.

Seeing they were at a stalemate, the two broke away from each other and began filling the air with  
more blasts of Danmaku, even as they descended toward the ground. The sound of blades smashing  
against one another rang through the area as they each tried to gain an advantage over the other  
while engaging in a mid-air sword duel.

Heck, they even passed right over our heads at one point at such speeds, Ichirin's head dress flew  
off,"Got ya!" I reached out and quickly snatched it back for her before yelling out,"Hey! Watch where  
you're going, you two! Ya could've hit us!"

They didn't seem to pay any heed, too wrapped up in their little conflict to care about other things.  
After one last clash, Hijiri jetted away from Miko than turned and hurled her weapon like a lance.  
The latter proceeded to spin her sword in front of her like a buzzsaw, using her makeshift shield  
to block the attack.

"Oh, come on already, Byakuren-san! Make this interesting for-" Her last words died in her throat as  
the smoke cleared in time to see her enemy setting up what I figured was a Spell Card,"...Oh.."

The woman gave a particular nasty grin before calling out the card's name:

**Magic Sign: Magic Butterfly**

This weird image of a giant gold butterfly formed around her as what seemed to be glowing orbs  
formed at several corners, they released a giant spray of smaller orbs while beams of light burst  
out from her body in all directions.

Watching the admittedly beautiful display, it was almost enough to make me feel sorry for the other girl...but again, Almost.

Miko swerved to avoid one laser only to be cut off by another..and than another, and another...and than the  
rain of spheres came down on her. She gasped as they made contact, engulfing her in multiple explosions.

"She did it!" Ichirin cheered, I nodded in approval but before we could leave our safety spot:

**Hermit Sign: Emperor Of The Land Of The Rising Sun**

The smoke was dispersed rather quickly as we saw the saint still standing, a blazing aura of fire emitting from her  
body and the air around her was filled with rotating columns of fireballs..

No..not fireballs...miniature suns! Suddenly, I was reminded why staying here in Gensokyo had its drawbacks.

"Forcing me to use one of my precious Spell Cards like this...it seems you haven't lost your touch, Byakuren-san,"  
Miko complimented but there was a hint of malice in her tone now,"But don't think I'll be beaten so easily!" She made  
a motion with her hands and the spheres exploded in massive flaming waves of energy.

I winced but Byakuren kept a cool head and zoomed to meet the attack head on. Waving a hand over her scroll,  
her form started to flicker, must've been increasing her speed again. Seeing a gap in the flames, she narrowly  
ducked through, singing part of her dress in the process but otherwise was unharmed. One of the suns exploded  
into a typhoon of scorching flame.

But instead of freaking out, the monk gave a sinister smile and pulled back her fists...then began thrusting her  
fists out so fast and so often, they were like blurs in motion, her fists packing enough force to, and I'm not kidding  
here, . . .SUN!

Wow, I guess living for over a thousand years has its benefits, especially when it comes to knowledge and  
experience. Using her accelerated speed, she set up a circle of glowing blue orbs that rained down on her.  
Miko vanished from sight, as did her enemy.

At that moment, the sound of thunder echoed over our heads repeatedly,"Oy, mind telling me what's going on?"  
I asked, noticing Ichirin's eyes were calmly following the action.

"Hm? Oh right, you're a normal human. Hijiri-san and Miko are simply moving too fast for the naked eye to  
see now. I can see them fine because I'm...well, a Youkai."

I could only sit back and massage my temples at that news,"Ughh...suddenly, I feel like I stumbled into an episode  
of Dragon Ball Z. I half-expect them to start screaming at each other in a bid to become Super Saiyans.." Although that  
would be kinda awesome...I think.

But still, I was glad we weren't doing this in the village. If we were, the whole place would've been wrecked long ago.  
Also, this meant I couldn't keep up with what was happening anymore! Darn it!

...Wait, why did I suddenly care? Granted, I was only here to get Unzan back but..this was actually..kinda exciting. Almost  
like a favourite series of books where one of them ends on one hell of a cliffhanger and you're tortured day in and day out  
by the thought of what was going to happen next.

No! Must not..give in..to this world's temptations! Didn't matter how many cute and hot girls there were here! Didn't matter  
if almost all of them had badass powers and abilities! I needed to remember: First chance I get to Leave Gensokyo.

This was not my home, and no matter how appealing it seemed, I needed to hold onto that one fact.

"Hey...I think they're coming back into view!" I refocused my vision and, sure enough, the two floated in the air, bright  
auras still emitting from their bodies, breathing a little heavier but none the worse for wear,"Geez, how much stamina  
do these two have?!" Oy, it was a legit question.

The two each whipped out a Spell Card at the same time, an act that made me winch,"We should get down..like right now!"  
Ichirin didn't bother to object as we hit the dirt and waited for the fireworks to start.

Byakuren called hers: **Great Magic "Devil's Recitation"**

Miko let loose with: **Light Sign "Guse Flash"**

The butterfly design around the former flashed a blinding red before releasing a barrage of giant crimson laser beams  
mixed in with an array of smaller red orbs and blue bullets. The light of the sun formed around Miko as a monstrous  
stream of rainbow-colored spheres spiraled out in the shape of a void that went to meet its enemy.

The sheer power behind their attacks was enough to shake the landscape around us,"Suddenly, I regret choosing  
to stand so close to the fight!" I yelled out over the roar of the wind.

So yeah, those two spells met in an explosive flash that lit up the night...

(**End Song**)

I used an arm to shield my face from the recoil effect while Ichirin only stared passively. Geez, did anything faze this girl?  
Than again, I suppose living in a crazy realm like this, you would need nerves of steel.

As the light gradually faded, I could make out two figures falling from the sky and crashing into the ground hard  
enough to trigger craters. We watched as the smoke cleared to reveal both combatants still standing, staring each  
other down despite the bruises forming on their bodies.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something rolling along the plains and toward the edge of the  
cliff. It was the jar Miko was carrying. That's when it hit us,"Unzan!" Ichirin took off after him running while I  
called out.

"Oy! Ichirin, get back here! It's way too dangerous out there!"

"I don't care! I'm not losing him again!" She shouted back as she kept running to catch up. I cursed to myself  
and gave chase. Dang, even without her partner, that girl can move pretty fast when she wants to.

"Hang on, Unzan! I'm coming for you!" Oh yeah, no problem, it's not like he ain't stuck in a jar that's rolling  
toward the ocean..ooh, too soon? Right, sarcastic time is over now.

The jar was nearing the edge of the cliff but she managed to scoop him up just in time,"Oh, Unzan! I won't  
let you out of my sight again!" She hugged the jar to her chest as the eye inside gained a happy gleam to  
it.

I smiled and nodded in satisfaction...only to see rocks coming out from under her! "Look out!" I cried but  
it was too late, the ledge gave out beneath her and she started to fall...

At least until I caught her one free hand and hung on with all my might,"Hang on, you two! I'll pull you  
up!" I groaned and pulled with all my might,"Ichirin, can you fly?"

She shook her head,"No, I rely on Unzan for most of my abilities! Sorry, Mister!" Oh great, just what I  
needed.

"And I suppose you can't haul the lid open with your teeth, can you?" I asked to which she again shook  
her head, making me roll my eyes before I had an idea,"Hijiri! One of your followers is in danger! Get a grip  
of yourself and come help her!" I could already feel her slipping from my grasp.

She was about ready to conjure another spell when my words hit her like a brick to the face,"Ichirin-san?"  
Turning, she gasped at the sight as did Miko,"Oh no!" She vanished in a ripple of air and reappeared floating  
underneath her friend just in time to catch her and teleport back to the surface.

Before I could fall myself, a hand reached out and grabbed my hood,"Whoa, easy there, kid," I turned to  
see the princess to have been the one who caught me. She laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her  
neck,"Hehe, what? Just because me and Byakuren-san are enemies doesn't mean I can't be polite to other  
humans." Huh..go figure.

I looked over to where Ichirin stood, unscrewing the jar and letting the living cloud out who quickly grew back  
to his full size,"Unzan-chan!" She jumped up and gave him a big cuddle,"Don't ever scare me like that again! You  
had me so worried!" Heh, you know, seeing that girl smile...might've just made this whole day worth it.

"Yes, yes, we're all happy for you, now if you'll excuse us, your master and I have a duel to finish," Miko cut in  
as she readied to pull out her blade once more, Hijiri readying another spell from her scroll.

Me,however? Well, I wasn't having any of that,"Not so fast, you two," I stepped between them and spread my  
arms out like a barricade,"I think this battle of yours has gone far enough for one day, don't you?"

"WHAT?!" Yep, that totally caught them off-guard, and now you're probably wondering what I was thinking. To  
be frank, I wasn't, I was simply going with my gut instincts, and I felt it was about time to settle this dispute  
before something truly bad happened.

"This is not your fight, boy. Please move aside, I'd hate to see one of your kind get hurt," Miko replied, lowering  
her weapon a bit.

"It became my fight when you two started getting innocent bystanders involved," I shot back,"Seriously, if you  
guys hadn't pulled your heads out of the clouds when you did, me, Ichirin and Unzan would likely have been swallowed up  
by the sea and the blame would've rested on BOTH your heads!"

Now, I'm not the kind of guy who likes to lecture people but after everything that's happened today. Being  
kidnapped, threatened, nearly killed several times, having to watch these two hooligans throw around magic spells  
that were the equivalent of a magical nuke, on top of already seeing every known law of physics and science get blown  
to pieces or twisted into a pretzel in the course of one day...yeah, I needed to vent a bit.

"Umm...I likely wouldn't have drowned, Mister, since I'm a Youkai and all.." Ichirin offered but I was on a roll and  
would not be dissuaded.

"I was watching you two. Both of you were so engrossed in your little brawl you couldn't even pay attention to  
what was going on around you."

"I was trying to save Ichirin's friend, Mr White," Byakuren argued back though I could see the red in her cheeks,  
"Besides, if you knew the kind of things this woman has done, you'd understand.."

"I do understand, better than you think," I said while sighing,"But Lady Hijiri..I thought you believed in equality,  
fair treatment, all that other Buddhist enlightenment stuff. How can you uphold that kind of ideal...when you turn  
into a murderous savage on people you don't like?"

Hijiri fingered her scroll and averted my gaze partially, as I folded my arms,"And don't think I've forgotten you  
either, Miss Miko," I looked over my shoulder at her,"Seriously, using one of her followers as a bargaining chip  
to lure her into a fight? That's pretty low, especially for an so-called Saint."

Judging by the frown on her face, I'm guessing she wasn't use to being lectured by a commoner,"I would've  
returned the young one's friend even if I had won."

"She's right," I glanced back to Byakuren,"As much I hate to admit this, she is one who keeps her word."

I fumed and wiped the sweat off my brow,"My point still stands, would either of you have been able to live  
with that? Knowing that one of your followers got hurt because of your actions? I know that sometimes sacrifices  
are necessary...but in my view, there comes a time you need to draw a line and say enough is enough."

"Please stop.." I turned to Ichirin who looked ready to burst any moment,"Please stop being so mean to Lady  
Hijiri. She was only trying to help me and Unzan. I know she made a mistake but she feels bad enough now, I  
can tell she does..." I saw Unzan smacking a cloud fist into his palm, as if to tell me to knock it off or else.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and nodded,"Alright...if you guys want to keep fighting, I won't stop you..just..please  
think about who you're hurting the most here, ok? Thank you." I stepped aside and waited for them to go at each other  
again.

...And waited...and waited..and waited. I checked the clock on my cellphone,"Ok, you can start any day now!...guys?"  
I looked to see them only standing there, waiting for one to make the first move...and than I saw something that made  
my eyes bulge:

Toyosatomimi gave a sigh and sheathed her sword,"Suddenly, I've lost the desire to fight..how about you, Byakuren-san?"

"...Same here," She rolled up her scroll and put it away,"I suppose we'll call it a draw for today than?"

"For today at least," Miko conceded than turned to walk away,"Oh, one more thing before I take my leave. You there,boy,"  
She turned to face me.

"Y-Yes?" I asked cautiously.

"I would like to know your name, please," She asked rather politely.

"James White, madam." I replied a bit chipper than I expected.

"Mr White,hm? You must be new," She walked right by me and put a hand on my shoulder,"If I may give you one piece of advice? Don't get  
involved in another Danmaku fight or try to interfere unless you feel you can handle the consequences. There are many in this world  
who don't take kindly to outsiders getting involved in their affairs...and they can react...rather negatively." She squeezed my shoulder a  
bit tightly to show she meant business.

I tried not to flinch,"I'll keep that in mind...don't worry..I won't push my luck."

"See that you don't," She let go and walked off with a smirk,"I bid you good evening, Mr White, and I look forward to our next meeting. Ta-ta."  
With a chuckle, she pulled her cloak over herself, twirled and vanished into nothing.

The oppressive air over the field dissipated with her as I collapsed to my knees from the sheer mental exhaustion of the  
whole event, ventilating a bit,"Phew...oh man, I'm so glad that's over, and..I'm not dead..holy crap, I'm not dead."

"As am I, though even I must agree that was a rather reckless thing to do," Byakuren admonished before smiling over  
at Ichirin who was playing with her friend,"But it all worked out in the end. You have my thanks, Mr White."

I laughed as I changed posture to sit on the grass properly,"No need to thank me. It's not like I did much anyways. I'm simply  
glad I got through this day with all my body parts in one piece," At that moment, my stomach started to groan so loudly it  
echoed through the area,"...Oh..sorry.."

Both girls only giggled as did the giant sentient cloud,"Well, I suppose the least we can do to thank you is let you join us  
for dinner. Ichirin, if you please?"

"Hai, Hijiri-san!" She hopped on top of her cloud friend like he was a platform and hovered over to me, smiling,"Come  
on, Mr White!"

"Uh, no thanks. I think I'd rather w-AAAAHHH!" Before I could object, she grabbed my hand and hauled me on board Nimbus 2.0  
and we zoomed off into the sky with Byakuren Hijiri by our side.

Story of my life, eh?

* * *

_The trio of Yakumos sat together in their living room, having observed all the events that happened through their T.V. and_  
_to say that they were shocked would be an understatement...ok, more like two were shocked, and one was mildly intrigued._

_Yukari smirked as she sipped her tea and gave a content sigh,"My, oh my, that was rather entertaining, wasn't it?"_

_Her nine-tailed fox familiar could only nod in agreement,"Indeed...he managed to resolve the dispute between those two_  
_before it could evolve into a actual incident. Through the use of his words too."_

_"Mouuu..." Chen groaned as her tail twitched,"That means I won't get to see anymore lasers and explosions-nya? That's_  
_no fair! It was just getting good too!"_

_Yukari didn't seem the least bit perturbed by her familiar's spoiled attitude,"Not today, no...but it was fun while it lasted._  
_At least that boy saved us some trouble..." She gave a yawn,"Well, this has been quite a day...Ran, could you be a dear_  
_and go pick him up?"_

_"As you wish, my lady," She stood up and bowed to her before a gap opened up behind her,"Come along, Chen."_

_"Hai, Ran-sama!" The nekomata bounded off after her caretaker and disappeared into the portal with her._

_Yukari stretched out the sofa and leered at the image of Mr White on her screen. She smirked in a devilish_  
_manner. What was she planning? Who knows? But the bigger and scarier question might be.._

_Was she planning anything at all..?_

* * *

"Itadakimasu!" With our graces done, we dug into our food with great ravenous. The meal wasn't anything  
too fancy, mostly cooked rice with vegetables, but I didn't exactly care at the moment. It was food, that's all  
that mattered. Besides, when you're hungry enough, you'll eat just about anything as long as it's nourishing.

It helps that there was plenty to go around...and that Lady Hijiri was a very skilled cook,"Mmm..this is good  
stuff you got here, Miss Hijiri."

"Hehe.." She scratched her cheek in a cute manner,"Ah, it's nothing special. My apologies, you're probably  
use to eating meat and other delicacies from your homeland."

"Don't apologize," I shook my head and downed a piece of potato,"This is satisfactory what you got here, and  
I'm not saying that just to be nice."

We sat in the dining room along with a plethora of other Youkai, including that Nue gal from earlier who was  
still looking at me with a wary eye but maintaining her distance..for now, anyway. Ichirin was by her master's  
side eating away happily while rubbing her partner's head.

It was about this time I decided to clear the air between us so I wiped my face with a napkin,"By the way...I..should  
apologize for earlier..." She stopped and looked at me,"About what I said back there...it was totally out of line and I.."

"Stop," She put up a hand for silence,"I appreciate your desire to make amends, but there is no need for it.  
Considering all you been through today, and my own unchecked actions, your reaction was appropriate and quite  
understandable."

I nodded,"Even still, that doesn't justify showing such blatant disrespect. Honestly, I don't know what I was  
thinking back there," I ruffled the hair on my head,"I guess I kinda forgot for a moment that..well, this isn't the  
world I'm familiar with...things work rather differently here. It runs by a different set of rules.."

"Miko was correct about one thing too. I got lucky today, if you two weren't the kind of people you are...I would  
be in a body cast right now..and that's only if you went easy on me,"

"But there are those...who wouldn't take kindly to me barging in on their affairs..and the next time I try to make  
a difference..it might be best I'm ready for the repercussions,"

"Mr White.." Byakuren murmured but didn't appear to know what to say.

I gave an empty chuckle,"Pft, look at me, being all pessimistic when everybody else is happy..I mean, we got Unzan  
back. That's something to celebrate, so let's do that," I rose my mug of tea,"To having friends."

Hijiri was silent for a moment than gave a slight smile and clinked her glass against mine,"To friends." We got back  
to drinking and eating.

At least until I saw Ichirin standing next to me, fiddling with her headdress,"Hmm? Is something the matter,Ichirin-san?"

"No, nothing's wrong," She looked up to me with a soft smile,"Me and Unzan just wanted to thank you for all your  
help today. It means alot, especially since...well, aside from Hijiri, I've never met many humans willing to help me. But  
knowing that they exist...it feels kinda nice."

I nodded in agreement,"Yeah, it does, and no need to thank me. I was simply doing what I thought was right, that's all.  
Seeing you and your buddy back together puts my own worries at ease." Ichirin smiled and went back to her seat.

The meal was just starting to wrap up, another girl came in, must've been Kyouko who came over and whispered  
something into Hijiri's ear before departing,"It appears we have some guests looking for us, Mr White. Come along."

More folks to meet? Geez, would I ever get a break today? Relunctantly, I got up and followed her out of the  
dining room and down the hallways to the entrance. The moment we stepped outside, I stopped and gawked  
at what, or whom, was waiting for us.

A young woman with gold hair and a pair of yellow fox ears and nine tails, wearing a dress very similar to  
a certain border Youkai's. Standing next to her was a smaller girl,a nekomata to be more exact.

Ran Yakumo and Chen Yakumo, Yukari's Shikigami...yep, this day had officially gotten ten times more batshit insane.

...Does anybody have crazy pills on them?

"Miss Ran, so nice of you to come. What brings you and your little charge to these parts?" Hijiri asked politely while bowing to them.

"It's good to see you too, Miss Byakuren," She bowed in respect," I apologize for the short notice but Lady Yukari sent us to pick up  
Mr White and take him back with us as soon as possible."

"Oh..I see," From the way that came out, it sounded like she wasn't too happy with that thought,"..Are you sure it has to  
be right away? We just got through finishing a late dinner." Atta girl! Power to the people! Question authority! Rebel if you  
have to!

"I am sorry but my lady does not like to be kept waiting," Ran explained in a apologetic tone.

"Is there no way she can be convinced to let him stay the night? No offense to you, but I don't exactly trust your master."  
Hijiri remarked as honestly as she could.

But fox lady shook her head, crushing my hopes,"That would not go over well with her. That boy is in my master's custody  
and is under her care. Defiance will not be taken lightly.."

The brown-haired woman bit her lip and looked to me,"..It's your choice, Mr White."

I glanced between the two of them and gave a sigh,"I don't want either you or Ran to get into trouble with Yukari...I'll  
go back...for the time being anyway."

Hijiri lowered her head while Ran let out a sigh of relief, possibly relieved she didn't need to use force to bring me  
back,"Come along than, Mr White. My master is waiting for us." Another gap formed behind her as she turned to go.

I glanced at my new friend,"...You'll be seeing me again, I promise. So will Ichirin."

"I'll hold you to that," She turned to go back inside,"But remember, if you ever need a hand, you know where to come."  
She smiled and headed on inside. I felt a bit bad for having to leave her like this, but I owed this much to her after she'd  
been so good to me. Having other folks get into trouble with Miss Boundaries simply for helping me was the last thing I  
needed.

I gave a loud yawn and walked over to where fox lady stood,"Alright, Miss Ran, lead the way." She nodded and walked  
on through, but I noticed Chen watching me,"Yes?"

"You looked smaller on the tv-nya." She walked on through. I took a moment to ponder that bit of info than shrugged  
and followed them into the waiting gap.

...Wait, did she just say T.V.?

* * *

"Why, hello there, Mr White," Yukari greeted me as I found myself in her living room with her stretched out on a  
couch,"My, you look like you've had quite the eventful day, haven't you?" Dang, doesn't she ever worry that if she  
keeps smiling like that, her face will freeze?

"Oh yeah, it was a real blast..." I gave a loud yawn and did a stretch,"I'm guessing you saw everything I was up to?"

"Now, what would ever give you that idea?" She asked in a rather innocent tone of voice, acting none the wiser.

I rolled my eyes,"Gee, maybe the whole "your gaps let you see everything in this world whenever you want" thing  
you got going on? Which by the way is a major invasion of people's privacy and you'd likely end up in jail if you did  
that where I come from-Ow!" I rubbed the back of my noggin where Ran had smacked it.

"Do not show such disrespect in front of Lady Yukari. You should be grateful she even tolerates your presence."

The blonde Youkai waved her hand,"There, there, Ran. No need to get rough with our guest. He's allowed to voice  
his opinion, even if he's a bit of a grouch about it," Haha, real funny, missy,"Though I must admit, I am rather surprised  
you stepped in between Byakuren and Miko's duel like that. I thought you had no interest in getting involved with  
our affairs?"

I folded my arms and laid my back against the wall,"I didn't at first, but when I saw Ichirin in danger like that...I  
guess something inside me just snapped. I couldn't be a neutral party when innocent lives were put in danger as  
a result of careless antics."

"Hmhmhm," She seemed genuinely amused as she flicked her fan open,"Even though it involved risking your own  
life, you would stand up in the defense of someone not of your own species?"

The way she said that put me on edge for some reason. She was trying to catch me in something so I needed  
to be careful how I answered,"...As I told Byakuren and the others, I'll tell you. Human or Youkai, makes no  
difference. I stand by and do nothing when that person is being offended in some way.." I looked away from  
her,"...Well, that makes me no better than the offender, doesn't it?"

Yukari looked satisfied by that answer as she nodded,"I see...well than, you've had a long day so why not  
get some rest? Up the stairs, third door on your right. I hope you sleep well. Oh, and I took the liberty of  
gapping some of your clothes here, ain't I the most thoughtful?"

Oh, so not only do we have stalking,kidnapping and attempted murder, we can now add looting to her list of  
crimes. Wow, that list is piling up fast, ain't it?

I nodded and bowed to her one more time,"Thank you, you sleep well too, Miss Yukari." I bowed to Ran  
and Chen, the latter of whom was already curled up on a cushion and snoozing gently before heading  
upstairs. I glanced back one more time to see her politely waving before vanishing into a gap under her.

_Why do I get the sinking feeling what I just told her is going to come back and bite me later?_

"If you need to use the bathroom during the night, it's down the hall from you." Ran called up to me.  
I nodded in thanks and headed for my room, opening it up to reveal a rather modest chamber with  
a carpet, a bed, a dresser and a window that looked out onto a starry night.

There was a lamp on a cabinet next to my mattress so I closed the door before flicking on the  
lamp and taking a seat while staring out at the sky. Finally, I had a chance to collect my thoughts.

"Well...I'm here. I'm actually here...in the so-called Illusionary Land.." If I ever did make it back home, all  
those Touhou fic writers were going to be so jealous...assuming they hadn't already been gapped before  
me..but if that was the case..how many of them actually made it back home?

I let out a sigh,"I'm in way over my head. Not only am I trapped here thanks to Miss Border Youkai, but now  
I got to see how frekkin dangerous this world can be...any one of these people here could probably  
decimate entire armies back where I come from..and my luck isn't going to last forever.."

Let's see, I had 50 dollars to my name, the clothes on my back, my knowledge of the Touhou universe  
and a slight case of paranoia. What was against me? An entire realm full of absurdly overpowered individuals, who  
will start destructive battles at the drop of a hat,and whose abilities in any other story would be a definite Game Breaker.  
Some of them could even sentence you to a fate far worse than death.

...Yeah, if that doesn't say boned, I don't know what will.

I decided that moping over this wouldn't change anything so for now, I got changed and laid down on  
my bed, covering up and closing my eyes. I would figure out to do in the morning.

Before long, I drifted off into a deep sleep...

* * *

**Well, that's the end of the first official chapter, guys! Yeah, bet you didn't expect things to get so serious so quickly,eh?**  
**I know, I know, some of you were expecting a certain Shrine Maiden to show up but that's a bit cliched, don't ya**  
**think? Besides, variety is the spice of life, am I right? Don't worry though, she'll be around. It wouldn't be a proper**  
**Touhou fic without her, right?**

**So, yeah. Our poor traveler's first day in Gensokyo has come to an end. He met some new friends, got to know a**  
**few of the locals, nearly died half a dozen times, got a taste of just how dangerous and exciting Danmaku duels**  
**can be...especially if you're a powerless human. On top of that, he helps to prevent a dispute from evolving to a**  
**true incident while catching the interest of a certain Saint. Not bad for his first day,eh?**

**Believe it or not, next time thing's get even more eventful! What do I mean by that? Oh no, that be spoiling, but**  
**let's just say it involves a certain magician...and I'll leave you with that for now.**

**Until next time folks!**


	3. Fairies, Magicians,And Hadokens,Oh My

**Well, here we are. The second chapter...or is this technically the third chapter if we include the prologue?**  
**Ah well...thanks to everyone who reviewed and added this to the list of stuff they read. It means more than you may**  
**think.**

**Also, I'm sorry the last chapter took so long to get out! *bows repeatedly* Seriously, the last month or**  
**so has been crazy when it comes to school work...hopefully now that I'm done for the summer I'll be able to get out a decent**  
**number of chapters. I won't make any promises but I'll try.**

**So yeah, when we last left our hero, he had finally earned a small reprieve after solving a dispute between**  
**the head of the Myouren Temple, Byakuren Hijiri, and the Ruler of the Senkai, Toyosatomimi no Miko. However, it**  
**seems the event has left him a bit shaken up...but can you really blame him? No, of course not.**

**It also seems a certain Border Youkai's interest in him has gone up a notch...this can't mean anything good for ****old Mr White.**

**Well, I won't keep you much longer. Besides, I think it's time for a certain favourite magician to enter the story, don't ya agree?**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Fairies, Magicians And Hadokens, Oh my!**

Ok, you would think with all the crap that's happened to me since I got here that getting to sleep would actually be a  
tiny bit hard. I mean, it was very common back home for me to not get any rest when I had alot of stuff on my mind. Heck,  
I would usually spend a good half hour or so drifting in and out before I was finally able to head for la-la land.

But not this time, almost immediately after I laid down, exhaustion caught up with me so fast it should've made my  
head spin but I was too tired to care or make a snarky remark.

...If this turned out to be Yukari's doing I'll...on second thought, I'd probably have to thank her...wow, the thought of  
that alone was enough to make me question how many brain cells I had left.

But yeah, all things considered, I actually slept pretty well. At least until the first rays of sunshine came in through  
my window and I could hear the birds chirping. Wow, talk about an ideal way to wake up,eh?

Too bad it wasn't going to last. My door suddenly flew open and hit the wall, courtesy of a kick from a certain  
neko as she rushed in and jumped on my bed,loudly proclaiming,"Morning, sleepy-head! Time to get up!"

The suddeness of her stunt gave me such a huge jolt I tumbled out of the covers and ended up on the  
floor, nursing my sore booty,"Ooof...morning to you too, Chen." Hey, she's a kid,ok? A shikigami to the resident  
Reality Warper but still a kid nonetheless.

"Morning-nya!" She bounced on the bed happy as can be several times before leaping off and landing next to me,"Come on!  
Ran's got breakfast waiting downstairs!" And just like that, she was back out the door as quickly as she came.

"Wow, somebody's in a good mood this morning," I chuckled to myself as I got up, grabbed a change of  
clothes and headed for the washroom. After making sure I looked presentable, I scooped up my coat and headed downstairs to the  
kitchen where I saw the kitsune at the stove with her familiar already seated.

Her ear twitched as she turned to face me,"Ah, Mr White, good morning. Did you sleep well?" She did a small bow.

I did the same in return,"Surprisingly, yes, thank you for asking. Also, your friend there..is,well..she's quite excitable in  
the mornings, isn't she?"

Ran blushed and turned her head,"Yes, I apologize for that. Chen is very energetic in the morning after a good  
night's rest."

"Can we please eat now, Ran?" Said neko put on the most adorable kind of puppy dog eyes in front of her  
big sister,"Pretty please?" Ah man, could even the legendary nine-tails resist that level of cuteness?

"CHENNNNNN!" Nope, certainly not because next thing I knew the mythical figure had scooped up the little  
one and was cuddling her with all her might,"Oh my gosh, why can I not resist when you do that?!" Chen only  
giggled at being snuggled so much.

Me? I only sat there with an amused smile on my face, which she eventually noticed and stopped,"Ah..erm.."  
She set Chen down who moaned and regained her composure,"Could you..pretend you didn't just see that,please?"

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed," I glanced at the other empty chair,"Say,um, where exactly is Yukari?"

Ran gave a sigh and returned to the stove,"Where do you think?"

I facepalmed while letting out a loud groan,"Don't tell me..still asleep?" She only nodded, causing me to let out another  
loud groan,"Great.." _If that woman loves her mattress so much maybe we should tie her to it..._

I knew better than to voice those thoughts in front of her shikigami though, since I figured Ran was very sensitive  
to anyone making off-hand or snarky remarks against her master. "You seem troubled by my master bringing you  
here to our world.." I looked over to her as she rose an eyebrow,"No need to look surprised. I've been around for  
a very long time, Mr White, so I know how to read body language."

"That obvious,eh?" I quipped, to which she nodded,"Well, no need to fret, Miss Yakumo, I have no intentions of  
complaining...for the time being, at least."

Before she could ask, Chen cut in and blurted out,"That's funny, I always thought it was common for humans to  
throw temper tantrums when something goes wrong for them."

"Chen..." Ran murmured in a warning tone, causing her little charge to wince and sink beneath the table a little ways  
while muttering an apology,"...As direct as that was, even I'm a little curious as to your behaviour, Mr White. Most humans  
would jump at the chance to get away from their ordinary lives. It is rare for me to see the opposite happen."

I took a seat at the table while I explained,"You would think that, wouldn't you? I mean, I'm essentially living many  
otaku's dream and yet here you see me not entirely satisfied...well, do you want the short answer or the long answer?"

"Whichever you feel comfortable with," Ran set our breakfast on the table before taking her own seat. The meal she  
prepared was a traditional japanese-style breakfast of rice, miso soup and other side dishes. It looked delicious, that  
was for sure.

We said our grace and than I started to explain,"...Let me start off by saying, if your master had come to me in an  
earlier, more vulnerable, point in my life...I probably would have taken her offer in a heartbeat, no questions asked,"  
I stirred the soup in my bowl,"I was teased, bullied, neglected, mistreated, all those classic "tragic backstory" cliches  
you've likely heard a million times before...growing up, I...wanted to belong, like many people, I found that sense of  
belonging in places like video games and anime.."

Ran nodded along to what I was saying as she sipped her tea,"You felt you belonged because in those places, things  
always turned out for the best and you were always in control. Those who did Evil were punished, and those who did Good  
were rewarded."

"Imagine my surprise when I learned the real world didn't quite work like that," I ate some rice,"I can't tell you the whole  
details right now but let's just say...there came a point in my life when somebody came along who offered a deal very  
similar to Yukari's. Said they could make all my problems go away..give me everything I could ever want..like that.." I snapped  
my fingers for emphasis,"...All I had to do was take the hand I was being offered...and leave everything else behind."

"And you were dumb enough to do so?" Chen bluntly spouted out, to which Ran shushed her.

I could only give a shrug,"I was only a kid at the time. I didn't understand what I was getting myself into..but.." I clenched  
my mug rather tightly,"Ever since that day...I've hated myself for being stupid enough to take it..and I vowed I would never  
let something like that happen again..I'd take facing my problems in the real world over taking the easy way out."

"Mr White.." The kitsune appeared ready to say something but didn't look like she could spit it out.

I shook my head,"No need to pity me...it was my mistake and I've paid for it many times over, trust me on that," I picked  
up my bowl,"So, I've answered one of your questions, it's only fair you answer one of mine, correct?"

"I suppose it is," Ran wiped her face with a napkin. One thing I could say on her behalf, she certainly had excellent  
manners,"What would you like to know?"

I took a sip from my mug before setting it aside,"How did someone as powerful and divine as you, a nine-tailed fox, end  
up working for Yukari? From where I come from, A kitsune with all its tails is typically compared to a God...or somewhere close  
to the level of one."

Almost immediately after the words came out of my mouth, I saw her shoulders shrink a little and she got a downcast look  
in her eyes. I put up my hands,"Whoa, if it's a private thing between you and the lady of the house, we don't have to discuss  
it right at this moment."

"I would appreciate that, thank you," Some of the cloudiness in her eyes started to fade after I backed down,"I don't like  
giving out personal details about my history with Lady Yukari...especially without her permission," Oh right, she's only got  
as much power as her master allows her. Sounded like there was quite a story behind these two.

I finished my food and pushed myself away from the table,"Well, thank you for the food but I must be off now. Perhaps  
you can drop me off somewhere, if it's not too much trouble?"

She nodded,"That much I can do for you. What do you got planned?"

I took a deep breath because what I was about to say had a very strong chance of binding me even closer to this  
world and its inhabitants,"...I'm going to find a way to learn some magic."

The duo stared at me with dumbstruck looks on their faces, Chen a little more so. I won't lie, seeing them with giant  
O's for mouths was kinda humourous,"Uh..why do you want to learn magic? I thought you wanted to get out of this place  
as soon as possible?" That came from the neko.

I got up from my chair,"Let's just say...the stuff that happened yesterday, with Hijiri and Miko...it made me realize something  
important.." I held up a hand and clenched it,"For all my knowledge about your world, I'm practically powerless. I got decent  
physical strength...but my only real experience in fights is some brawls I got into when I was younger.."

"And the next fight you get into during your time here, you might not be able to talk your way out of it," Ran concurred  
with a nod,"I can understand your worry. Most of the more powerful denizens typically choose to duel first, ask questions  
later." Gee, ain't that the truth.

"But than again, if they bothered to stop and ask questions..well, we wouldn't have Touhou games, would we?" I asked  
while letting out a snicker. Seeing yet another blank look on her face, I waved her off,"Never mind that, it's a Outside World thing.  
Hey, mind if I help you tidy up those dishes?"

"Oh! That would be much appreciated, thank you," I helped her gather up the dishes and we got to work cleaning them in  
the sink. She talked as we worked,"That might be a wise course of action, although your range of options for people who  
could teach you are a bit limited. You could try Patchouli Knowledge at the Scarlet Dev-"

"No." I cut her off before she could finish,"Sorry, just..no. I'll go anywhere but there or Makai. Besides, like any good RPG player  
I want to gain a few levels and learn some tricks before I tackle the more high-risk areas."

Ran washed a couple plates before handing to me for drying,"Well...I wouldn't recommend the Hakurei Maiden since she  
hardly ever trains and is not exactly fond of mentoring others in the ways of magic. Your best bet would be Miss Kirisame in  
the Forest Of Magic in that case."

"The witch lady,huh?" I put the plates up in the cupboard,"I suppose she's the lesser of two evils. You sure you don't need  
a hand with anything else before I go? Or that your master won't mind me leaving on her?"

She shook her head,"No, of course not. She's already given me permission to drop you off wherever you need to go. I gotta  
run out and pick up some tofu anyway."

I slipped on my coat and wrapped up a couple filled rice balls for a snack while Ran lifted a hand to open a gap,"I should warn you  
though, I'm not too good at using these yet so, if you don't end up exactly where you're planning...please bare with me."

"That's fine with-Wait, what?" Suddenly, the floor gave out beneath me and I found myself falling through space...

* * *

Thankfully, I didn't fall for a long period since next thing I knew, I ended up tumbling out of the gap and onto a patch  
of grass, hissing in pain from the impact,"Dang it...a little more warning next time would be nice!" I exclaimed out of  
anger and frustration before sitting up and rubbing my sore butt.

"Ok, one of the first things I'll do when I finally learn some magic...is teach myself to fly, that'll make getting around  
a thousand times easier," Yeah, if you haven't figured out yet, I was getting tired of being gapped everywhere.

Just than, a smaller gap opened up with a piece of paper falling out before it closed again. Perplexed, I reached up  
and took it. Here's what it said: **"Mr White. Apologies if your landing was less than pleasant. I just wanted to give you**  
**a word of advice. Stick to the trails as much as you can. The Forest is huge and it is very easy to get lost. Only go off**  
**the path if you absolutely feel you have to."**

**"The fairies that live in here are...mostly harmless, though they are prone to playing tricks on Outsiders. It's the**  
**Youkai you need to worry about. Avoid at all costs, oh and...don't eat the mushrooms...don't ask why, just don't.**  
**You're on your own from here, good luck, Mr White."**

Wow, if I didn't know any better, I would say she's actually...concerned about me,"Huh...at least I have someone in  
the Yakumo family willing to watch out for me.." Though I needed to remember that Ran was a servant to the Border Youkai  
first and foremost...if there ever came a time we needed to clash...

I shook the thoughts from my head and set out along the trail. My kitsune friend was right about one thing: This place  
was frekkin gigantic! Seriously, I was a tall guy for my age but most of the trees here were, at the very least, three times  
my height! To give you an idea of their width, if I were to hug one, my arms would not even cover half of their diameter.

It didn't help that there were huge mushrooms as far as the eye could see and a..rather strange odor in the air  
around me. It wasn't bad, per say, more uncomfortable, like the smell you get from moldy cheese or sour milk, if you  
want a comparison.

Let me tell ya, with how big and vast this place looked, if you wanted to disappear, this would be the place to do it.

All of a sudden, a thought crossed my mind, one that would make me kick myself,"Darn it! I should've asked Ran if  
she had a cardboard box lying around!" What? I could've imitated Solid Snake if I had one!

...Wait, was that a pair of eyes darting through the bushes?

...Yeah, I figured I should probably get a move on. I could sight-see all I wanted when I no longer needed to run  
or talk my way out of a fight.

...I said it before and I'll say it again, What the hell I have gotten myself into?

* * *

_"Hey girls, it looks like we got ourselves a visitor," came the voice of a girl sitting in the trees, she had blue eyes and_  
_short gold hair braided on the sides. She also wore a dress made of red and white cloth and had fairy wings coming out_  
_of her back. This was Sunny of the Three Mischievous Fairies and their "leader"._

_"Oooh, he looks like he can be lots of fun!" Another fairy came on the scene, this one with red eyes, curly blond_  
_hair, wore a white cap and a dress-like cloth too, only this one had black in place of red. She too had wings on_  
_her, marking her as Luna, the second Fairy Of Mischief._

_"I'm not so sure about this, you two," One more fairy also appeared beside the others. She had brown eyes, long_  
_straight black hair, was carrying a pink umbrella and wore a blue dress-like cloth with matching ribbon on her head._  
_She too had wings, this was Star, the last of the trio...and possibly the smartest one of the bunch, typically letting_  
_the others take the fall for their schemes...or if she was feeling generous, like today, try to keep them from making_  
_a stupid mistake._

_...Why she wasn't the leader is anyone's guess,"What if we end up simply getting into trouble again?"_

_"You worry too much, Luna!" Sunny exclaimed while giving a hearty laugh,"Besides, it's just a bit of harmless fun,"_  
_At seeing Star raise an eyebrow she sighed and put up her hands,"Ok,ok...if things get out of hand, we'll go get_  
_Cirno-san to cover for us. Alright?"_

_The black-haired girl let her shoulders slump down a little,"..Alright. I can't say I agree with this...but you're the boss,_  
_Sunny."_

_"That's the spirit!" Luna playfully pat her on the shoulder,"After all, what's the worst that can happen?" Star was not_  
_going to even justify that with a response._

_"Ok, you guys!" Sunny punched the air,"Let's go, go, go!" She zipped off with the other two not far behind._

* * *

I was after walking through the forest for quite some time and to be frank, I was quickly getting bored. I let out a moan as I  
stopped to take a breather,"Aw man, I really didn't think this one all the way through..why didn't I ask Ran for a map when  
I had the chance?"

Maybe cause I was too busy wanting to get away from a certain Gap Youkai's presence. I know, I won't shut up about the  
whole "kidnapping" thing and you're likely even wondering why I want to learn Magic when I'm trying to escape this crazy  
wonderland.

Well...think of it as a means to an end. I wasn't doing this because I Wanted to. I was doing this because I Needed to, there's  
a difference. This wasn't meant for fun, this was meant to protect myself...along with any other innocents I ran across who were  
being threatened. Yeah, despite my paranoia and being a bit of a killjoy, I do have a sense of justice.

Blame it on my love of Kamen Riders and other Toku genres.

Hmm? Wait, was that giggling I heard coming from the side? I stopped and looked around for any followers. Nobody was  
there...but if that's the case, why was my hair standing on end? I shuddered and kept moving onward. Oh look, a new  
path to go down...and another path..and another.

...Why did I suddenly feel like I was in the Lost Woods from the Legend Of Zelda series?

I walked onward and...yeah, I know, I know, this is getting boring hearing me talk about walking through a blasted forest  
so how about I save us both some time and skip to the interesting part,ok? Great.

So, here I was, minding my own business, when I saw...something in the distance..huh, on closer inspection, it looked  
like a little girl with red eyes and short blonde hair, wearing a black vest and skirt with a white blouse. On the side of  
her head was an amulet.

Maybe I should have been more suspicious, more cautious, but the empathetic aspect of me took over so I bent down  
to her level,"Hi, little girl, are you lost?"

The little one turned in my direction and suddenly, I was very much regretting asking because her eyes got big, round,  
and...was that drool coming out of her mouth?! And..and what was with that hungry look in her eyes?! She waved her  
arms excitedly,"Yay! Time for food!"

Oh crud...this was Rumia, wasn't it? I quickly backed away from her outstretched arms,"Um...sorry missy but...I'm not  
food. I'm a human being. Say it with me, H-U-M-A-N...human." Maybe I could try reasoning with this girl?

The girl nodded,"Yup, yup, and that makes you super tasty food! Now hold still.." Nope, no such luck. I didn't bother to  
stand around so I pulled a 180 and started running like there was no tomorrow!...and if I let that lady get her hands on  
me, there really wouldn't be a tomorrow!

"Wait, get back here! I'm hungry!" I glanced back in time to see her flying after me in...a giant black sphere...really? That  
was her mode of transportation? And why was she bumping into trees? "Oof! Hang on a moment!"

...Ok, maybe I didn't need to run for my life..maybe simply jogging would keep me alive. I turned and kept on walking,  
not even bothering to look behind me,"You do realize that flying around in a sphere of darkness during the day isn't  
exactly practical,right?"

"What's practical? And hold still so I can eat you-Oww!" And bumping into more trees was her punishment. Honestly, despite  
the whole "eating humans" thing she does...I kinda pitied the girl. Here was someone who controlled the frekkin _power of darkness_  
and she couldn't even scratch the surface of its potential...unless she was in EX-Rumia form THAN I would have reason to run  
for the hills.

I sighed and rolled my eyes before coming to a stop and leaning against a tree with my arms folded,"You know, you'd  
probably be able to see me if you dropped the big black orb thing."

"Oh, I can do that," The sphere dissipated and the girl stood there with her arms stretched out in a cross format,"Now, prepare  
to face my wrath, hum-" Suddenly, she..stopped, and...wait, was she sniffing the air? "Hmm.." She took a couple steps toward  
me while sniffing the air around me,"..Mmhm.."

I rose an eyebrow at this act,"...Er..is something the matter?" Where was the Danmaku bullets? Where was the Spell Cards she  
was suppose to be whipping out? And why was I still standing here when I should be booking it?

The short girl tapped her chin,"You said you were human, right?" I nodded,"..Strange...you don't smell like a human..." Wait, what?  
"Now that I think about it, the way you dress isn't like most humans I've seen either.." Ah man, what was it with everybody  
commenting on my attire?

She clapped her hands together loudly,"I got it! You're not afraid!" And she was suddenly all doom and gloom. I swear I saw a  
storm cloud form over her head,"...Which kinda takes all the fun out of this.."

I didn't like the glum look she was wearing, that's when I got another idea,"Hey...you said you were hungry,right?" She looked  
up and nodded slowly. I smiled and reached into my pocket,"Well, I just happened to have a few tasty treats on me if you're  
interested?"

Her eyes sparkled at the mention of treats,"Ooh, ooh! Yummy treats! Yes, please, please!" She clapped her hands together  
excitedly, causing me to chuckle.

"Alright, but if I give you some of them, you have to promise not to eat me, is that agreeable?" I asked politely

"Huh? Oh, sure, sure," She clapped her hands happily,"Treat time!"

I sighed and pulled out the bag of rice balls and offered her one. She took it graciously,"Thank you!" We sat together and  
ate our food. Judging by the pure pleasure and the toothy smile, I was going to assume she enjoyed it very much.

I chewed and swallowed my food before deciding to strike up a conversation,"I think introductions are in order. My name's  
James White, and you are?"

"Oh, Rumia's my name! I'm a Youkai," She took a bite of her rice ball,"Sorry about trying to attack you, it's just a Youkai's  
job to do so...especially when they're hungry..or because a friend told you to." At that moment, she smacked a hand over  
her mouth.

I stopped eating and glanced at her,"What was that you just said?"

"N-Nothing!" She scooped up another rice ball despite my protests,"Thanks for the food, mister! See you around!" She poofed  
back into that giant black sphere and rode off before I could ask any questions.

"...Weird.." Ah well, at least I avoided getting eaten for the time being. I wrapped up the rest of my food and headed out.

...Only to be stopped shortly after by a voice behind me,"Hey, you!" I turned and saw what looked like a little girl with wings  
and wearing a red and white dress-like cloth glaring at me, "Answer me, why weren't you scared of Rumia-san?"

"Rumia? That blond-haired kid who travels around in a giant black orb for some reason?" I shrugged,"I give her props for  
an honest effort but if she really wanted to be scary, she could've tried..alot..harder.." I swear, a light bulb went off in my  
head as I started putting the picture together,"..Oy, you wouldn't happen to have sent her after me, would you?"

The fairy girl actually recoiled in shock and embarassment,"O-Of course not! What would give you such a silly idea?"

"Gee, maybe the guilty look you have on your face is a big giveaway?" I inquired, keeping my arms folded. Ran wasn't the  
only one who could pick up on body language.

"S-Shut up! I don't have to explain anything to you, human!" Her little outburst only made her look all the more guilty.

I let out yet another sigh and waved it off,"Whatever, I got no time for this. If you can point me to Miss Kirisame's place, I'll  
be on my way." Hey, no need to start a fight when there's no need to.

"Hey, you can't just blow us off like that! I'm the leader of the Three Mischevious Fairies, Sunny, and I demand respect!"  
The little munchkin said with a pout.

Fortunately, another fairy, this one in blue, popped her head out and pointed behind me,"You're on the right track. Just follow  
the trail down this way until you see a fork in the road. Take the path on the right until you reach a clearing. You can't miss it."

"Thank you," I gave a small bow,"At least somebody around here is willing to be helpful.." I turned and walked off down the  
trail while the fairies bickered behind me.

Man, Gensokyo really is a strange place, ain't it?

* * *

_Yukari gave a yawn while walking out of a gap into her apartment,"Ahh...that was a nice nap...I think I might help myself_  
_to another one later..now than.." At that moment, her shikigami walked in the door carrying groceries...well, mostly Ran was_  
_carrying groceries, Chen was playing with a ball of yarn,"Ah, Ran, there you are. May I inquire as to where Mr White is?"_

_"Yes," She said the bags on the table before bowing to her master,"I'm...not sure how to explain this to you but...apparently,_  
_he's decided to try and learn some magic. He feels he needs it in order to defend himself."_

_Her master rose an eyebrow and was quiet as that bit of info digested into her mind. Before Ran could inquire into how she_  
_was feeling, she snickered in a...very amused manner,"Huhuhuhu...my,my, it appears our guest is full of surprises...where_  
_exactly did he say he was going?"_

_"To the Forest of Magic to learn from Miss Kirisame. Chen, help me put away these groceries."_

_Yukari surprised her servant by gleefully clasping her hands together,"Oh my. It appears Mr White is actually listening to_  
_me! This is most excellent. Who knows, there might be hope for him, yet.." She clapped her hands together and a new gap opened like a window,_  
_showing the newest resident of their world navigating said forest,"Hmm...interesting.."_

_"If I may add, my lady," The blonde turned to her familiar who was packing away some eggs and milk,"I was speaking to our_  
_guest earlier and he...shared some interesting information about himself."_

_"Did he now?" She pulled out her fan and flashed it in front of her face,"Well, it's nice to know he ain't entirely a closed book._  
_I would like to know what he told you but for now, how about getting us something to eat?"_

_"Yes, my lady," She turned but then stopped and looked back,"Are you...sure it's wise to allow this Outsider access to power_  
_even though he only just got here?" She knew first-hand how...unstable humans could be, especially those who wielded actual power._

_Her master was silent for a moment...than shrugged half-heartedly,"Meh, doesn't really matter. Besides, I think there was that_  
_one old man who mentioned if you wanted to see a person's true character, all you need to do is give them power...so, we'll see."_

_As usual, Lady Yukari didn't seem the slightest bit concerned...but even Ran didn't know what went on in that head of hers, and_  
_when not even the woman's shikigami could figure her out...you knew something was up._

_She felt a slight twinge of pity for the young man as she went to prepare a meal..._

* * *

Well, here we were. The home of Gensokyo's Number Two Youkai Hunter (Number One being Reimu herself but let's not rub  
that one in). I won't lie, for a home out in the middle of nowhere, it didn't look half bad. The place had the appearance of more  
of a suburban or rural household and appeared big enough to house a family of at least three people.

I knew she rarely stayed home but I was hoping she made an exception for today. _If all the trouble I went through to get_  
_out here turns out to have been for nothing, I will be SEVERELY pissed off!_

Gathering my composure, knowing I would likely only have one shot at this, I walked up to the door and readied to  
knock...only to hear a loud, cheerful voice call out,"Fire in the hole ze!"

"Oh crap..." **Get down and cover your ears NOW.** Thank you voice in my head I never knew existed. But yeah, without questioning  
anything, I jumped away from the door and landed on my stomach before covering my ears. Next thing I knew, I felt the earth  
beneath me shake briefly, a thick blast of grey smoke to shoot out of the chimney AND the door to the house flying off its hinges  
at such speeds it flew across the field and shattered against a tree...while also knocking said tree down.

...Yeah, I think it was safe to say Marisa was home.

I cautiously allowed myself a peek and saw someone stumbling their way out of the smoke in the doorway while coughing  
up a lung. The smoke cleared to reveal a girl with long blonde hair dressed in a white and black outfit of some sort with...a really  
big, really nice hat...I should probably ask where she got that thing sometime.

After gathering herself, the girl straightened up and put her fists on her hips and loudly proclaimed,"Test successful!...could use  
a bit more nitroglycerin though.." Yeah, this is definitely Marisa alright. She looked over to where I lied and tilted her head,"Oy, you  
there, if you want to take a nap, go somewhere else."

"Sorry.." I got to my feet and brushed myself off,"Actually, I'm looking for a Marisa Kirisame, you wouldn't happen to be her, would you?"

She blinked in surprise but than quickly put on a smirk and crossed her arms while giving a haughty laugh,"Hoho! I see my  
reputation proceeds me! Yes, I am her! Marisa Kirisame, the Ordinary Magician AND Number Two Youkai Hunter in all of Gensokyo!  
Pleasure to meet you, stranger!" She tipped her hat to me. Man, somebody's certainly full of themselves. Than again, considering  
what she's done to earn her title, it's probably justified to some extent.

"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Kirisame," I got up and bowed to her,"I'm James White, and as you can probably tell by my attire,  
I'm not from around here." I motioned to my jacket and stuff.

"I figured as much," She brushed the dust off her dress,"Let me guess, you got brought here from the Outside by Miss Gap Hag, am I right?"  
I could only nod to which some of the haughtiness seem to deflate from her,"I see...and I suppose she made all sorts of wild promises of  
fame, power, adventure and have lots of ladies after you, didn't she?"

Once again, I nodded,"Ok..let me tell you something right now, kid. Whenever an offer seems too good to be true..that's usually  
because there is, and even moreso when you're dealing with someone like Yukari. Whatever she's promising you...it ain't worth  
it, trust me on that."

Wow, if there's one thing I can say about Marisa is that when it comes to matters involving Yukari, I can at least expect her  
to take them seriously,"I'm aware of that, which is why I tried to turn her down...keyword being try," Her eyes went a bit wide  
at my little announcement,"...Er..you ok?"

"Hm? O-Oh yeah, sorry.." She rubbed her forehead,"It's just...you turned down..the gap hag's offer..I..I need a moment to  
process that.." She looked like she wanted to let something out.

I rolled my eyes and gave the "go ahead" gesture,"Fine, fine, get it out of your system. I can wait a few extra minutes.."

The witch started laughing like someone in the mad house. I'm pretty sure I waited a good five minutes or so while she  
had her little episode. I should know because the clock on my cell phone said so,"...You done yet?"

"Y-Yeah," She straightened herself up and smiled,"Oh wait..you're being serious...allow me to laugh even harder.." Once  
again, she collapsed into hysterics and I was forced to wait an additional minute or two while she finished,"O-Ok..I..I think  
I'm done now..ahh.." She wiped a tear from her eye,"Oh man...thanks kid, I needed that one."

"Sure you did," I muttered, not convinced for a second,"Anyways...since I'm stuck here for the time being, I was wondering  
if you could give me some magic lessons?"

"Magic lessons?" She tapped her chin in thought,"Hmm...well, I have sometimes considered sharing what I know.." The gal  
flashed a devious grin,"But are you positive about this? Once you get your first taste of REAL power..it's gonna be near  
impossible to go back..so don't do this unless you're absolutely sure this is what you want."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. This was it, one last chance to back out, the point of no return. I didn't want it to  
come to this...but destiny's messed up like that sometimes. Even so, I'd come too far to quit now, and once I made a  
decision on what path I wanted to take..I wanted to see it through.

"..I'm sure, this is what I want. Will you instruct me, Miss Kirisame?" I bowed to her...only to recieve a bonk on my noggin  
from her broom,"Oww."

"Let that be your first lesson," She remarked with a sigh,"Drop the formalities. I maybe the most awesome witch you'll  
ever meet in your life.." Gee, modest much? "..But I can't stand being formal, so call me Marisa and I'll call you James..or  
Jim..or Jimmy..whichever you prefer."

"Erm..ok, sounds fair," I agreed before something dawned on me,"Oh right, I guess I should think of a way to pay you  
and all.." I know from experience that it is impossibly rare when someone does something nice for free.

"Hmm? Oh yes, my payment. Come on in and we'll talk business.." She led me inside and over the floor covered in pieces  
of machinery, books, and other odds and ends out to where she kept a kettle. As the water boiled, she got to talking,"Ok,  
as you probably know, keeping myself in business isn't easy, and sometimes I need to charge a huge amount of money for  
my services..."

I could feel myself starting to sweat,"..But fortunately for you, ya caught me at a very good time. The fact you made it all the way  
here with next to no help is also something I respect. So this is how it's going to work.." She brought over two mugs of green tea for us,"I'll teach you the basics, what you need to know to get you started, and in return, you do two things for me: Since you're from the outside, you must know loads of stuff about technology  
and what not so if I need someone to fill me in on what something does, I come to you. Also, you owe me one favor," She held up one slender digit for emphasis.

"I can call in this favor whenever and wherever I want..and no matter what it is, you need to uphold your end of the  
bargain. Oh, it may not come today, or tomorrow, or even a week from now..but it will..and if you try to weasel your  
way out..well.." She let her threat hang in the air.

I slowly nodded,"R-Right..sure...I can accept that." Why did I get the feeling this deal was going to come back to bite  
me in the rear? Oh yeah, maybe cause EVERYTHING does eventually?!

"Great!" She clapped her hands together,"Now drink up, you'll need your strength.." She took a bite of..wait, was that  
MY rice ball she was eating?! "W-Wait, how did you.." I stuttered, unable to grasp how she did that, considering it was  
suppose to be still in my pocket?

Marisa only smirked and pulled the hat down over her eyes,"A magician never reveals their secrets...not all of them anyway.."

I could only sit there as she snacked away at the last of my rice balls...dang, she was good.

* * *

We were out in the yard now, and it was finally time for my lesson to begin,"Alright, before we get started, there's a few  
things you need to know.." Before I could let out a groan, she put up a hand,"I know, I know, you want to get to blasting  
stuff as soon as possible, don't fret, you'll get your chance. It's just we gotta do these things by standard procedure ze."

"You're the magic expert here, Marisa," I conceded as I got ready to listen. This was at least bound to be more interesting  
than my Logic classes in university,"Lay it on me."

"Eager to learn,eh? Good to hear!" She clapped her hands,"Alright, the thing you need to know about Gensokyo is that  
most duels are fought here using Danmaku, and there are as many ways to use the stuff as there are Youkai..as you can  
probably guess that means ALOT ze. Take this for example.." She pulled out the octagonal device, her Hakkero, or as I  
like to call it a Portable Wave Motion Gun. Just seeing it was enough to make my hair stand on end.

"Most of my spells I can channel through this baby here.." Spells you've stolen, but I'm not here to judge, I'm here to  
learn. Suddenly, I heard the fluttering of wings and Marisa got a devious smirk on her face,"...Perfect timing. Seems we  
got ourselves some live practice dummies."

Out of the woodwork flew about half a dozen fairies who headed towards the garden, obviously looking for an afternoon  
snack,"Hi girls!" Marisa called while innocently waving to them,"How's it hanging? Listen, could you stand still for a moment?"

The fairies saw her aiming and I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for them as Marisa let loose a barrage of star-shaped  
and very colorful bullets from her weapon. All her shots hit their mark and they all went poof almost immediately,"Back to  
nature for you guys!"

"Ermm..wow..that was...certainly something..are they going to be ok?" I asked, surprised by how carefree she was being  
about, you know, blasting another living creature into a puff of smoke.

"Ehh, they'll be fine, don't fret," She waved off my concern,"Besides, they make up for their short lives with being able to regenerate  
endlessly. They'll be back..and hopefully a bit wiser when it comes to taking things that aren't theirs.." Heh, you're one to talk.  
"So, that was Danmaku, pretty neat, huh?" She blew the smoke off the thing and grinned.

"I guess.." I nodded along. Of course, I knew that wasn't even a fraction of her full power...but seeing even that little bit was  
enough to remind me of the power Byakuren and Miko wielded...both awesome and terrifying at the same time.

"Alright kid, since you're an Outsider, you can shape your own danmaku whatever way you want..but choose wisely, once you  
pick it, you're stuck with it..oh, and don't forget to use a medium to channel it. My advice? Pick something that represents who you  
are." The witch stepped aside so I could have some room to practice.

"A medium, eh?" I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a pair of black gloves and slipped them on, at seeing her  
raise an eyebrow, I chuckled,"I'm not much good with using swords and guns, besides...I've always been someone who liked  
working with my hands." She made an O expression and nodded.

"Now comes the hard part.." I clenched my leather-clad hands tightly and spread my legs apart, taking deep breaths and  
closed my eyes. It was time to put my otaku knowledge to good use...wait..Otaku..I flashed back to all the different shows and  
games I'd played and watched...

"You just need to feel the energy flowing through you..I know it sounds a bit cheesy and it is but you'll understand once you  
feel it for yourself." Marisa advised while taking a drink from her mug.

It certainly does. **Just shut up and do what the lady says, ok?** There was that voice again! Was this world doing things to my  
sense of paranoia? Focus on that later, right now..think..think..what shape did I want this power to take? Something unique,  
and all my own...wait..

There was always that one move in that game I could never pull off...no matter how hard I tried..no matter how many different  
ways I pushed the buttons on my controller..but other folks made it look so bloody easy! By the gods, it was frustrating..but wait..could  
I do that now? Here, in this place filled with magic and illusions?...I needed to try.

I focused on my gloved hands and cupped them together. Alright, as Obi-Wan would say Use The Force, Luke.

...My god, I'm gonna look beyond stupid if this doesn't work.

Now..huh? Why was my body..tingling..and..wait, did I just hear a thump coming from between my hands? The tingling in my  
arms got stronger and stronger, I could feel..something..a presence of sorts..drifting through my veins and into my hands. It's  
hard to explain, but think of how your hands feel when you rub them together really hard, that burning friction you get.

Could this..actually be working? I opened my eyes and my jaw dropped at seeing streams of blue-white..something..spiraling  
between my hands,"O-Oh my gosh! M-Marisa! What the hell do I do now?!"

"Calm down and just focus, you dummy ze!" Marisa exclaimed,"Remember, your Danmaku takes whatever shape you want. Once  
you're ready, let it fly and make something go boom!"

"Easy for you to say!" I shouted back before gnarling my teeth and willing the energy to gather,"Come on..come on.." Slowly, the  
spiral began to compress in on itself until I got a ball of swirling blue energy that reminded me of a certain Pokemon's power,"..Aura.."

I looked towards where a tree stood and, with some effort, I reared back to fire...eh, I couldn't resist anymore,"Hadouken!" I let  
the blue fireball fly from my hands, it took off like a missile and smash through the tree like a hot knife through butter before going  
off with a loud boom that kicked up a small pile of dust and debris.

I breathed heavily at what just occurred,"..Did..did I just..do that?"

"Ah yeah! You sure did, kid!" She pat me on the shoulder, looking very pleased with herself,"Of course, that was only possible cause  
of the amazing mentoring of yours truly ze," I glared at her and she put up her hands defensively,"..Though I'll admit, that wasn't too  
bad either...but I am curious about that name you shouted."

"Oh? The Hadouken?" She nodded,"Well, basically, it's this signature technique of a character from a story back in my world. It's  
the user channeling their willpower to focus energy through their hands than release it in a single attack. I'm not sure if that's what  
I did now, I simply used the name cause it sounded cool."

"Hmm.." Judging by the way she was stroking her chin, I figured that bit of info had intrigued her,"I see..you know that kinda reminded  
me of China Girl," At seeing my bemused face, she shook her head,"Sorry, I meant Hong Meiling, China's much easier to remember  
though. She's the gate guard for the Scarlet Devil Mansion and her ability is the manipulation of Qi...you're not her long-lost twin  
brother by any chance, are you?"

I looked at her like she's grown a second head and started singing in Latin, she seemed to get the message,"Oh right, Outsider..forget it than.."  
She glanced around for a moment,"Ok, while that is a nifty attack you got, you need to seriously work on the charging time, most  
folks around here aren't content to sit back and let you wail on them. Try using one hand this time."

"Erm..ok.." I rose my hand and repeated the sensation, only this time it seemed to come much easier..I saw why when a barrage of  
blue bullets shaped like mini arrowheads began firing from my hand in a steady stream like a machine gun,"Whoa!" I steadied my arm with  
the other hand,"Come on, come on, stop..stop it!" I clamped down on it tightly and the attack stopped,"Whoa..rapid-fire action.."

"Yeah...but hey, you got the basics down pretty fast, so give yourself a pat on the back," Marisa complimented with a nod of  
approval,"So tell me, how did it feel, your first taste of having real power? Pretty sweet,eh?"

My eyes widened as the adrenaline started to fade and it fully sank in what I had just accomplished,"I..yeah..it..kinda..wait.."  
I shook my head,"It..was alright, I suppose," Got to remember my promise, no matter what happens, do NOT get too attached  
to this world or its denizens..it'll just make leaving all the more difficult.

The blonde magician only laughed and gave me a punch in the arm,"No need to be so modest, kid! You're allowed to bask in it  
a little bit! Now than.." At this, her voice turned slightly serious..slightly,"Listen and listen closely cause I'm only telling you this  
once..having power is great and all, heck, it's fantastic even...but if that power doesn't have a purpose, you're better off not  
having it at all."

"Power with purpose is meaningless and worthless. A purpose that is firm can change the impossible into the possible." I  
recited out of nowhere. Man, despite how much of a scumbag he was in Asura's Wrath, Deus could say some pretty profound  
things when he felt like it.

"Exactly," It was her turn to nod,"But even more important, just because you have power doesn't automatically mean you'll  
win every fight. Trust me, I've seen more than a few people turn an ability that's seemingly useless on the surface into a force  
capable of fighting even Gods on equal terms. Whatever power you end up getting...you better make damn sure you push yourself  
to be an expert at it, got that?"

"Got ya," I shrugged,"Personally, I'd take Versatility over Raw Power any day." The question was on my mind though,"Say,um..Marisa,  
you certainly know alot of philosophical material for someone so young."

"I could say the same about you, James," She looked out at the mid-day sun with a soft smile,"But yeah, sometimes I even end up  
surprising myself with what I know. Than again...I did have an awesome mentor of my own," Was she alluding to who I thought she was?

"Alright than! Let's find ourselves some live targets to practice on!" Wait, what?

"Excuse me?" I asked before she jumped on her broom and hauled me onto the back with one hand,"W-Whoa!" Geez,  
somebody was in a hurry.

(**Play Marisa Kirisame's Theme: Love-Coloured Master Spark**)

"Hang on tight! We're going for a ride!" I did as instructed and next thing I knew we were zipping through the forest at  
speeds that would make even Sonic The Hedgehog turn red with envy.

"W-Wait! What about Spell Cards? Isn't there more to learn?!" I exclaimed as we barely avoided slamming into a tree by  
pulling a frekkin barrel-roll of all things..and my lunch went into my throat for a few seconds...great.

"When it comes to us magicians, there's ALWAYS more to learn!" She shouted back, obviously not feeling the effects of  
going Mach 1 on a broomstick,"I simply figured we could take a page from Reimu's book and get some teaching done  
through first-hand experience ze!"

"Ah, I see.." It took a moment for that to sink in,"...Wait...you want me to fight?!" Why did I get the feeling hanging  
around this woman was hazardous to my health?

**Oh wow, you're only NOW figuring that out?** Ok, I definitely heard a voice that time. The strange thing..it didn't sound  
like a guy OR a girl's voice.

"Fairies at 12 o'clock! Light them up, boy!" I glanced ahead of her and gulped at the sight of dozens of fairies getting  
ready to mob us, some already shooting off bullets made from Danmaku. Well, no time like the present to put my skills  
from playing Shooters to the test.

"I'm very sorry about this!" I took aim with my glove-covered hand and started firing off my own round of bullets, wincing  
as my attacks hit with enough force to cause each fairy to explode into a pile of dust,"Please forgive me!" We maneuvered  
to the side to avoid a rain of bullets as I kept firing, the only reply I recieved was a energy bullet narrowly missing my noggin.  
"Oy you.." I felt no guilt for that one fairy who I blew into pixie dust.

An entire line of fairies descended on us, acting quickly, I cupped my hands together and began charging energy,"Hadouken!"  
I let fly the fireball and it blasted through all the enemies at one time. Why was I suddenly reminded of R-Type?

"Quick thinking there! See? You're already learning!" Marisa exclaimed, I would have gotten a snappy remark in but I was  
too busy keeping the winged mob from getting too close to us. Thankfully, my new friend must've noticed how overwhelming  
it was getting because she whipped out her Hakkero and began taking potshots at the fairies I missed.

I gotta say that she was a dang good shot too. Working together, we unleashed a twin barrage of laser fire that made  
short work of whoever got in our way. I'll even admit, this wasn't half bad. Granted, it was scary as all get out but..I guess  
being in the thick of things and not just being a passive bystander helped alleviated some of the worry.

"So.." I threw another Hadouken to help clear a path,"I guess this is a bit of a habit for you? Clearing out fairies like this?"

"Ha! Eat it!" Marisa blew away several more with one shot,"Oh yeah! This is what I live for! That'll teach you to come onto  
MY turf, you little munchkins ze!"

**You might want to look behind you right now.** Whatever you say, disembodied voice. I did and my eyes bulged at the sight  
of more fairies coming up behind us,"Erm..Marisa...I believe the fairies are trying to box us in!"

"What?" She glanced behind as well but instead of being worried, she..smirked,"..Hehe..not bad..this might actually be  
challenging for once!" Forget about MY lack of brain cells and growing paranoia, it's a miracle this lady can even still function!  
She pulled out one of her Spell Cards,"You might want to hang on even tighter." I complied as she loaded it up.

**Magic Sign "Stardust Reverie" **

The broom section came alive like a rocket thruster and I could feel us jetting so fast, we literally smashed apart every  
fairy that was unlucky enough to cross our path. The fairies behind us didn't fare much better as waves of giant star-shaped  
masses of energy were spewing forth and blowing them all away. Even the shockwaves from the Spell Card were enough  
to knock down the surrounding trees.

"I know I said to hold on tightly, but I didn't mean this tightly.." Marisa said while leering back at me with a smug grin.

I flinched at the realization of how tight I was holding,"S-Sorry..it's just I've never been on a flying broom before.."

"No biggie, but please keep your hands to yourself if you can," The smug look only grew at seeing me squirm,"Honestly,  
it's quite flattering though you must remember, I am the one driving and if I were to lose my focus for even a moment,  
we would likely end up as a red smear all over the forest...ok ze?"

Why did she have to remind me of that? "R-Right..again, sorry.." I re-adjusted my position on her broom now feeling  
a bit humiliated. Man, that girl certainly knows how to push your buttons."Look out, we got fairies coming from all  
directions!"

"So we do..on the count of three, start shooting!" What was she planning now? "1.." I didn't like the sound of this,"2.."  
Why me?...why, oh why me? "3!" I began shooting like she she said as we began spinning like a top. Our danmaku shots  
going everywhere. I'm pretty sure it looked awesome from afar but I was too busy trying not to throw up to care.

"Marisa, please tell me we've gone far enough! If we go any further I think I'll lose my mind!"

"Sure! This is as good a spot as any to stop anyway!" Marisa brought our ride to a stop at last..though it was a bit  
too sharp of a stop because I found myself catapulted off the broom and sent flying through the air.

(End Song)

"Waaaahhhh!" Another near-death experience...I should start keeping tallies on how frequently this has happened.  
Luckily, my flight was a short one as I collided against...something and ended up falling into shallow water with a loud splash.

"Ermm..ermph!?" I came up gasping for air,"Oh..oh man..thank goodness for shallow water..and Marisa, what's the big deal?!"

"Sorry!" She apologized as she stepped off her broom,"But hey, you're ok, that's what matters..huh?" She grinned and  
planted her broom into the dirt,"Well, well...look who we have here.."

"Who dares to attack the strongest when she's trying to relax?!" That voice...could it be? I turned and gasped at who I  
saw before me: Short blue hair with a matching bow tied in the back, a blue dress, four fairy wings and blue eyes.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Cirno the Ice Fairy and self-proclaimed "Strongest" has entered our story! Give a round of  
applause!...Applaud, damn you! Applaud!..eh hm..sorry about that..

"You..are you...Cirno by any chance?" I asked, wanting to be sure this wasn't some sort of mirage. My hand absentmindedly  
moved toward her, almost like it had a will of its own.

She smacked it away,"Of course eye am! Eye'm the strongest after all! And who are you suppose to be?"

I than got down on my knees before her and start to bow in worship to her,"All hail Cirno! Strongest of all fairies! Hail  
Cirno! Hail Cirno!" Bet you didn't expect this, did ya?

"WHAT?!" Was the general reaction amongst pretty much everybody, even Cirno, who appeared at a loss for words.

"Please forgive me for crashing into you like that, Miss Cirno! I know I'm not worthy to be in your presence. It was a  
total accident. Can we please let bygones be bygones?"

"Whoa! Whoa!" Marisa stepped into the water between us,"Kid, what in the name of Gensokyo are you doing? She's  
a fairy, and you're treating her like she's some sort of deity."

"Not so much treating her like a deity," I corrected her,"More like giving her the respect she deserves."

"R-Right!" Cirno chimed in,"And don't you forget, witch girl, eye've already beaten you once before, eye can do it again!" Marisa  
winced at the mention of her beating from Fairy Wars, granted, she'd severely underestimated the little one...but hey, a victory is still a victory.

"So..er.." I cut in, getting the little one's attention again,"That's it? We're cool?"

The ice fairy contemplated my offer for a moment,"Hmm..well, normally eye don't let people off the hook for attacking me..but  
you did apologize and admit you were beneath eye.." Hey, don't rub it in, lady,"So yeah, we're...wait a minute.." Suddenly, the  
girl was in my face, looking me all over,"...Hmm.."

"Ermm..is everything ok? Do I have a zit on my face?" I asked while looking between her and Marisa, the latter only shrugging.

"Hmm..mmhm..I knew it!" She pounded her fist into the palm,"You're the one all the fairies were talking about! The one who  
stopped the incident between hermit lady and monk girl!"

"Wha?" Marisa was obviously surprised as she looked me in the eye seriously,"Kid, mind telling me what she's going on with ze?"

"Oh..that..hehe.." I ruffled my hair while looking around for a quick exit,"It..it was nothing..I just kinda got caught in a  
scuffle between Lady Byakuren and that Miko girl...things sorted themselves out though.."

Marisa whistled, impressed,"Man..you must be either incredibly brave or even stupider than pixie girl here to get involved in a  
brawl between those two..heck, even I'm not sure I could take on both at once."

"It honestly wasn't that big a deal.." I said, taking a step backwards.

"For a human to do that, you must be very strong!" Cirno folded her arms and nodded,"Alright, I accept your apology, but in  
exchange.." She flung her arms out as the air around us started to chill in an ice storm,"You must fight me and my friends!"

"What? No! I don't want to fight!" And once again, the universe had decided to screw with me for shits and giggles.

"Sorry kid, once she's made up her mind, there's no changing it.." Marisa said apologetically as we spotted the Three Mischevious  
Fairies and Rumia joining Cirno's side.

"Troops! Fall in!" Cirno yelled while folding her arms,"Cirno the Strongest is here!"

"The Fairy Of The Sun, Sunny is here!" Sunny called while crossing her arms like an X.

"The Fairy Of The Moon, Luna reporting in!" Luna yelled while posing next to her boss.

"The Fairy Of The Stars, Star is here...relunctantly.." Star said with a sigh.

"And Rumia too! Hi James! You don't mind if I eat part of you once we're done, ok?" Rumia yelled while waving.

"All together, we are.." Cirno began as they all yelled together,"The Fairy Force!"

"Wait a minute!" Sunny yelled, breaking them up,"I thought we agreed to the name Cirno-san And The Four Musketeers!"

"I thought we were the Mystic Lake Five." Luna remarked, tapping her chin.

"Fairy Force doesn't even make any sense, I mean, one of us is a Youkai..no offense, Rumia," Star remarked but Rumia  
was too busy twirling in a circle to care.

I could only watch them bicker while tilting my head,"Suddenly, I feel like I'm on one of those hidden camera shows...honestly,  
all their missing is the spandex outfits and we can call them the Power Rangers.."

Cirno finally shut them up before things could get out of hand,"Ok, enough is enough! We're not here to fight each other, remember?"  
The fairies quickly settled down after her little outburst.

**Man, the little one must be very well-respected to have other fairies listen to her.** You can say that again, disembodied voice. I  
honestly need to look into that later because it feels like I'm losing more of my mind.

"Well, at least I got Miss Kirisame by my side, right?" I looked over to where she was suppose to be, only to see she had taken to  
the skies on her broom,"Oy! Marisa, get back here!"

"Don't worry, these guys are a joke! Besides, it's good practice for you! If things get too hairy I'll pull you out, promise ze!" She  
sat back on her broom to watch the action unfold.

I winced and looked over to where my opponents stood,"One ice fairy being backed up by four of her allies.." And I had no Spell  
Cards plus I didn't have the slightest clue what my special ability was yet.

I was in deep, deep trouble..and why did I get the feeling things were going to get a whole lot worse before they got better?

* * *

_Yukari watched events unfold through her gap window with a very amused smile on her face. Ran though was..less than_  
_amused,"My lady, should I go and get Mr White back?"_

_"Hold on a minute, dear Ran," She put up a hand to stop her,"Let's not be too hasty..I have a feeling that things are about_  
_to get very interesting.." She needed a chance to see what the lad had to offer, and this was as good a opportunity as any._

_Ran was not so willing,"My lady, forgive my ignorance but are you sure that's a wise idea? Mr White only just arrived here the_  
_other day and already he's in the thick of combat. Are you certain about this?" _

_"My dear, precious Ran, you worry too much," Her master remarked while patting her hand,"If what you've told me so far is_  
_any indication, I believe he will succeed and come back safely...probably shaken and with some bruises, but alive nonetheless."_

_A curious thought crossed the kitsune's mind,"My lady...do you happen to know how the ice fairy found out about Mr White?_  
_You..wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that, would you?"_

_The border youkai looked her in the eye with a glint of mischief in them,"..I will not deny anything, nor will I refute that idea.."_  
_At seeing her shikigami still looking worried, she sighed,"Oh, very well, IF and only IF he is in genuine danger..you may bring_  
_him back..but.." At this, her tone turned harsh,"You best remember who your loyalties lie with...do I make myself clear?"_

_Ran swallowed a lump in her throat and bowed respectfully,"Of course I do..my apologies for doubting you, Miss Yukari."_

_"Accepted," Yukari was suddenly all chipper again,"Now than, why don't we sit back and enjoy the show?"_

_One thing was for sure..it was bound to be a very entertaining show indeed..._

* * *

**Well, that's the end of this chapter. I gotta say, I actually had quite a bit of fun writing this one, especially the scenes**  
**with everyone's favourite blond-haired magician, and when you can say you had fun writing..that's what matters, right?**

**So yeah, a new day brings with it new experiences and surprises. New yet familiar characters make their presence known,**  
**we learn a bit more about my guy's past (Hopefully without turning it into a total whine fest) and FINALLY gets his hands on**  
**a bit of magic..with some help from Marisa.**

**But what kind of power can an Outsider bring to this world? A place filled with gals who've won the Superpower Lottery?**  
**And how will said ability affect his interactions with the folks of Gensokyo? Well, we're gonna find out very soon, aren't we?**  
**I've already dropped a few hints what it is..**

**Next time, our first major fight will occur! But until than..let this little tidbit tie you over..**

_"Being strong doesn't mean just having power..it's what you DO with what you have. Those who never give up..who always_  
_strive to better themselves every day..those are the people who are truly strong!"_

_"Hmph..typical humans and your blind sense of justice.."_

_"I don't know what you did, but do it again ze!"_

_"I won't lose, cause eye'm the strongest!"_

_"This is..my power? Wait..are you.."_

_"Hey, about that favor you owe me.."_

_"My, my, what an intriguing ability you have.."_

_"This world is under my protection, and I will do whatever I must to ensure it's survival."_

_"So the ends justify the means,eh? Don't make me laugh. There's always a better way..always."_

**..And that's it for now. Review, Comment, Fave, Do whatever. Until next time!**


End file.
